The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Book Two
by Princepen
Summary: A/U: As the Enterprise crew prepares to rescue the kidnapped Will Riker, the stakes only become higher, when Yar must face an old rival. As the adventure continues, the fate of the galaxy depends on the crew's ability to remain unified against a growing threat.
1. Chapter 1

**The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Book Two**

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

 **Earth**

Walker Keel walked down a hallway located deep in the innards of Starfleet Intelligence. The sound of his footsteps were amplified by the near emptiness of the corridor. As he slowed his pace, the guard on post nodded at him respectfully. He had no current title, but he didn't need one for the guard to know that he was of some importance.

"Status?" he asked with the same easy tone he used for almost every question he posed.

"The prisoner mostly just sits there, sir. He doesn't ask for food or anything."

"Hmm. You would think he would be more concerned for his own welfare. Have you lowered the security field?"

The guard knew the question was a test. "No sir. I'm under strict orders not to touch him. If I lower the field, there's too much risk of physical contact."

 _He sounds like he's quoting from a security manual._ "Very good officer..."

"Jones, sir."

"Very good Jones...now get me two way visual and audio. I want to talk to the prisoner."

Jones didn't hesitate, moving to the wall panel to enter the desired code. Walker slipped the hypo out of his sleeve and lightly touched the young man on the side of his neck. As Jones slumped over unconscious, Walker caught him under his armpits and gently lowered him to the floor.

Standing up again, Walker tapped a code into the wall panel and the field was lowered. The cell's occupant, his subordinate Agent Finn sat impassively on a narrow bench. Walker pulled out his phaser and pointed it at the prisoner. He had no intention of harming Finn, unless he had too, but had to take precautions. "Have you thought about my earlier proposal?"

Finn blinked and looked up at him. "I need to find my people."

"So you've said. And I have said, I can help you find your people, but I need you to agree to release Marco to me in return. I need him alive."

"I cannot promise anything. Marco is no more important than I am. But the Leader must be recovered and protected, so that we can all reach our full potential."

Walker gritted his teeth. "We're both running out of time, Finn. We can continue this conversation on board the ship."

"Ship?"

"How exactly do you think you're going to find your people? Not by walking..."

Finn nodded slowly, and his once brown eyes now glinted a vibrant emerald green. "Very well, Walker. I will accompany you on board your ship."

Walker tapped his communicator. "Keel to Crusher. Is everything set?"

" _Walker, your ship is ready. Lucky for you a diplomatic transport was available...or at least, it is now."_

"Thank you, Jack. I'll be forever in your debt."

 _"Not a problem, Walker. I'll see you on board. In fact, I'm here already."_

"What?!"

" _After what you told me, Walker, did you think I was going to leave Beverly and Wesley at risk? I'm coming with you, old friend."_

* * *

 **Enterprise**

Beverly got up from her seat as Felix Farmer exited the surgical area. She wasn't used to being the one who was waiting to hear news about a recovering loved one, and she was anxious. But something still kept her from asking the question.

Felix pulled off his surgical mask and grinned, shaking his head. "He's okay," he said, sounding almost as relieved as she felt. She sighed and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes as he continued to speak. "In fact, he is doing very well," Dr. Farmer said, running his hand over his head. "But, Beverly, the most remarkable thing is that there is absolutely no trace of that mysterious virus. By all accounts, and according to all of our instruments Seth is cured."

Beverly just stared at him in disbelief. "And the...manganese capsule?"

"Intact, and it is back in the exact spot we removed it from."

 _That means he has some kind of sentient dangerous virus hibernating inside his neck. "_ I'm going to have to keep him monitored 24/7 until we can find a way to safely remove this thing without triggering the viral effect again."

* * *

Wesley blinked once in the glare of the sun. He was standing with Q in a narrow path, flanked by vegetation on either side. The air was dry and dust swirled around his boots. Soon enough Wesley came to recognize that he was standing among rows and rows of grapevines. He was at his father's family home in LaBarre on earth. He turned around in place and shielded his eyes from the sun. He could see no one else in the fields besides Q and him.

He turned to Q. "Why did you bring me here?"

"You were feeling sorry for yourself; neglected by your dear old dad."

Q smiled down at him. "So I decided to show you another life Picard could have had-perhaps if he had never met the Q. And one in which the arrogant Picard does not exist. " He raised his hand and there was another flash of light. Wesley glanced up at Q and then took in the new surroundings. He was in the dining room he had been in just three months earlier, when the family had reunited following Yar's defeat, and everyone had simply been happy.

Now the room was quiet and dusty. At the table sat his father. He was holding a half empty bottle of wine in his hand, and staring at the label, as if studying it for imperfections. A deactivated computer terminal sat in front of him. His shoulders slouched, but he didn't look ill, in fact he looked very tan and healthy. His head was almost completely bald, which for some reason looked very natural on him. At his elbow sat an empty wine glass.

"He can't see or hear us," Wesley said mostly to himself, as he circled around in front of his father.

"No, he can't." Q crouched down and stared up into Picard's face which was clearly pensive.

Wesley stepped backward as his father pulled the cork out of the bottle of wine and filled the glass next to him. His eyes fixed on something further down the table. Wesley followed Picard's gaze to an oblong metallic container. Picard raised his glass as if to salute the container.

Wesley looked up at Q. "Is that..."

"Your grandfather's urn? Yes, in fact you are correct," said Q.

"I did everything you told me to. Everything you asked," Picard said quietly to the urn. "But you were never satisfied, were you?" he took a drink and then put it down on the table. He waved his hand over the small computer screen next to him. He typed in a quick code and then took another sip from his glass while waiting.

Finally the image of a relaxed, but distant looking older man blinked onto the screen. "Well look who it is," said Robert.

"Don't act so surprised, brother," Jean-Luc said. "You've been avoiding my calls for days now."

Robert shrugged. "I'm busy. Marie and I are having a child. Some of us have to move on with our lives, Jean-Luc. I told you years ago I wouldn't be tied to the vineyard."

Jean-Luc tapped the rim of his glass. "Congratulations," was all he could think to say.

"Jean-Luc just leave him, will you? You gave up the Academy...you've never even had a relationship with a woman that lasted more than a month-"

Jean-Luc slammed his fist on the table. "I gave up _nothing_ , Robert. Events happened and I made the choices you didn't want to. Instead you ran away. Our mother died, and our father fell apart and lost his mind. Instead of staying home to support him you ran away like a little boy."

"You always had to be the adult, even when you were a boy, Jean-Luc. Well I don't want to listen to your _lecturing_ anymore. You sound just like _him_."

"He's dead," Jean-Luc announced.

"What?"

"Robert, our father...has _died,_ " he repeated.

Wesley turned to Q. "Q, what is the purpose of this? And how can this even be him, he's so different?"

"This Picard is just one of many possibilities which might have occurred, had he never encountered the Q. He made certain choices when he was younger than you are now-simply following the wishes of his father to stay longer with his brother in the fields than to pursue his daydreams in the woods alone with his little dog."

Wesley gritted his teeth. "He told me about that. His dog died because my father saw your light and was drawn to you...and then years later you trapped him so that you could study him. You're no better than the Borg," Wesley accused.

"That is a very human way to look at it," Q observed mildly. "However, the way I see it is that Picard gained much more that day than he lost."

Q snapped his fingers and they were suddenly back in the same corridor they'd been in before.

* * *

Wesley paced away from Q and then turned to face him. "Was that supposed to convince me that if my father hadn't met you, he never would have left Labarre, never would have attended Starfleet Academy, and never would have met my mother?"

"And never would have had _you_ , Wesley. Yes, must I spell it out for you?"

"I don't believe you. He's more than what you turned him into. You said it yourself-he made choices, choices that made him a great person. And he would have been great without you, Q!"

"Ha," Q scoffed. "Doubtful. But in any case-he is now who he is."

Wesley's eyes narrowed. "Why do you care so much?"

Q blinked. " _Care_?" he asked as though the concept was alien to him; which it was...

"You want him back with the Q...don't you? You want us to reject him so that he won't have anywhere else to go but back to you!"

Q's brow furrowed and Wesley saw for the first time a real emotion in the entity's human face, which was of course just a mask covering his real face-which was not a face at all. Q's eyes seemed to light up with fury, and then Wesley realized: Q was jealous.

"Eventually you will see, young human. Picard is not meant to be with humanity any longer. In fact, his potential is wasted among your kind. Just don't come crying to me later and tell me I didn't warn you." He waved his hand carelessly and was gone in another flash of light.

* * *

Beverly stepped into Jean-Luc's quarters with Seth at her side. She kissed him on the top of his head. "Seth, you need to rest...I can tell you're tired. Do you want to lay down out here on the couch, or do you want to lay down in your bedroom?"

Seth yawned and pointed tiredly toward his room. He had insisted on walking back-he was so light and she could have carried him. But now that they were in the quiet and comfort of his quarters, the exhaustion was taking over. "Okay, come on," she said and lifted him up into her arms. Once she had him settled, she turned to leave, and looked back from the doorway, seeing that he had already fallen asleep.

She exited to the living room, and was considering making herself a cup of tea when Jean-Luc walked in. She tried to keep her voice calm. "Where did you go?"

He halted, unsure of what to do or say next. "I had duties on the bridge," he said carefully.

"You have duties to your family."

He stepped toward her. "I know that, Beverly, but things in sick bay were...they were beyond me, and I had to leave."

"They didn't seem to be beyond you when you first came in. Jean-Luc you were going to use your power to save Seth. I would say that's taking things into your own hands."

He ran his hand along the edge of his desk before looking up at her. "Is he alright now?"

She took his hand briefly. "Yes, we completed the surgery, and the virus simply disappeared or has been contained inside what the virus referred to as its 'hibernation chamber'."

He frowned. "We have to find a way to extract it without re-releasing the virus."

She looked down and crossed her arms. "Yes. But right now, he's resting. Trust me, I'm monitoring him carefully."

He nodded in agreement. "I know. I was wrong to overstep. I should have allowed you and your staff to handle it."

Beverly tossed her hands up. "Jean-Luc, it's not about right or wrong. I know your intentions were good. You wanted to help. But what were you thinking? If the crew is exposed to the fact that you have super-human powers, you could face losing your command."

"You're right. I must be more careful in the future."

"Are you just going to keep agreeing with me? Because you're not convincing me that we're communicating here."

He stepped closer to her, but she backed up. "I sent Wesley to find you. I shouldn't have done that. It wasn't his responsibility. _You_ are not his responsibility," she said firmly.

He stared at her completely confused. "Beverly, I made a _mistake_ and I apologized. Why are you still angry with me?"

"I need to be able to rely on you, Jean-Luc."

"You can," he said gently. "I was trying to protect my family the way that I know how."

He reached out to put his palm lightly on the back of her neck, pulling her toward him in a kiss. At first she responded, despite her anger, and kissed him back, but then she pushed him away.

"Jean-Luc...you can protect us without your power. You are capable of so much just as a human being. I know, because I've seen it with my own eyes. Sometimes I think you forget the person you used to be."

He turned halfway from her. "So. You don't like the way I am now," he said simply. "Beverly, you keep talking about the Power as if it is something separate from me."

"Isn't it?" she asked incredulously.

He shook his head. "It's part of me." He reached out for her hand. "I thought you liked the way I am now. I'm trying, Beverly."

"I know," she said. "It's not about liking how you are. I _love_ you. But this power of yours worries me, Jean-Luc. It's too much responsibility for a human being who already has so much worry in his life. We're going into a dangerous situation and-"

"And you think I will make a rash decision," he said with a small smile. "I'm not going to to anything to jeopardize the safety of the people I love, Beverly. It's that simple." He tugged her arms gently toward him, until she acquiesced and embraced him. Her arms tightened around his mid-section and he felt the warmth of her skin as she rested her forehead against his neck. Suddenly she looked up. "Where is Wesley?"

"Right here."

They both turned in surprise to see Wesley standing next to the door. "Hi," he said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Somewhere in Orion space...**

"Where is Marco? And why does he send his minions to handle his most vital negotiations?"

"You're right...I am one of Marco's minions. But what makes you think you rate up there as one of his vital negotiations?" Riker said with a short laugh.

Caine stood silently in the shadows behind him.

"I know Marco," said Daimon Val. "And I know he would want to hear what I have to offer. He's a business man, just like I am."

Will Riker stood and leaned on the back of the high-backed chair and stared at the view screen which displayed a giant Ferengi face. "What kind of deal are you trying to sell us, Daimon Val?" Caine stood silently nearby in the shadows.

"No amount of credits are too steep a price to pay for what Marco has to offer."

"Who said what Marco has is for the offering?" Riker asked sharply.

The Ferengi's sharp yellow teeth gleamed at him from the screen. "Everything and everyone has its price."

Riker returned Val's confident grin. "That may be so." He shrugged. "Who cares about credits? Latinum is useless in my opinion. What else have you got?"

Val gestured at one of his subordinates off-screen. Momentarily he drew back and then waved a weathered looking tube in front of the screen. "You see this?"

Riker's forehead crinkled. "It's kind of hard to miss."

"I know where Marco is headed...at least in theory. But once he arrives there," Val wiggled the tube at Riker tauntingly, "he's going to need this."

Riker glanced at Caine, who remained impassive. "What do you want?" Riker said turning back to the Ferengi. "He's not going to hand you over everything, Val."

Val laughed with joy. "All I want is a share. A chance to perceive the immortal Gates of the Divine Treasury with my own two eyes."

Riker nodded toward the tube Val held in his fist. "And that is...?"

"A map," said Val. " _The_ map to eternity."

* * *

 **The** _ **Enterprise**_

"Mr. Arroyo, these feelings you describe...do you experience them often?" Lieutenant Commander T'Sara sat, hands laced in front of her, calmly observing the nervous young man sitting across from her. Nervousness, she had come to learn was quite normal for humans who found themselves faced with questions about their inner emotions. But there was something decidedly...anxious about Arroyo. He had experienced a recent trauma on board the Enterprise just months earlier, having seen his friend Franco Grimaldi killed by a Borg drone. Arroyo had recently returned from a related medical leave, and although he had been diagnosed with PTSD, he had returned to full duty just days earlier. T'Sara was now tasked with assessing the young man's fitness for duty after an incident that had occurred in Engineering on his last shift.

Ensign Luis Arroyo took a sip from a glass of water to wet his dry mouth. "I'm...I'm not crazy, you know."

T'Sara titled her head to the side as she often did when humans said something she found to be evasive. "I did not say that I believe you to be mentally unstable, Ensign. However, your mention of a desire to harm yourself or others is of concern."

Arroyo nodded quickly.

"How often have you experienced this...emotion?" she repeated.

Arroyo bounced his foot up and down and rubbed his sweaty palm on his knee. "Sometimes it-it's like inside my mind I experience Franco being killed all over again. I guess things just set me off sometimes."

"What kinds of things set you off, Mr. Arroyo?"

Arroyo looked down at his feet. He mumbled something low, and then repeated it in a louder voice. "When I see someone who looks like her."

T'Sara's eyebrow arched. "Of whom are you speaking?"

"I don't know..."

The counselor leaned forward slightly. "According to the incident report written this morning by your commanding officer Chief Engineer LaForge, you were working on a solo project, testing warp efficiency when you yelled out the words: 'Get away from him, you bitch.' Is this an accurate account of your behavior, Ensign?"

Arroyo's agitation seemed to grow exponentially in that moment."This is confidential...right?"

T'Sara paused only briefly. "Yes...however if you were to present a potential harm to yourself or others, I would be required to report this to Captain Picard."

"No!" he shouted suddenly. Arroyo bit his fingernails and stared at her. This appeared to calm him to a degree, and then he quietly said, "Some people deserve to be harmed: so that they can never hurt anyone again."

"Are you referring to someone in particular?"

Arroyo kept silent.

"I am inclined to generally disagree with your suggestion, Ensign. While I comprehend the concept of the desire for vengeance, history has shown both on Earth and on Vulcan that the construct of an 'eye for an eye' seldom ends there." Arroyo was now staring off into space, so she pressed on. "Tell me, Ensign. Are you seeking revenge for Engineer Grimaldi's death?"

Arroyo continued to refuse to meet her gaze.

"The record shows that you witnessed your colleague's death at the hands of the Borg."

"Franco wasn't just my colleague, he was my friend."

"And you experienced the feeling of guilt at not having prevented Franco's death."

"It was the Borg who killed him...and that _bitch_ didn't stop the Borg. She walked right by Franco like he was nothing."

"Does this person you refer to have a name?"

"I told you! I don't know who she is."

"And yet you blame her for the death of your friend."

"She didn't stop them."

"Did you see someone today that reminded you of this woman? Is that why you became upset while on duty?" In that moment, she thought of Yar. She didn't know why, for it was illogical to do so. Nevertheless, she stopped short of asking Arroyo for a physical description of the woman.

Arroyo shut his eyes tightly. He couldn't tell the counselor any more. If he did, she would try to prevent him from doing what he needed to do. He stood up from his seat. "Thank you for meeting with me Counselor," he said with almost no inflection in his voice. "I feel a lot better now."

She looked up at him. "Are you ending our session, Mr. Arroyo?"

He looked as though he was going to say something, but then turned and quickly left.

Once outside the door of T'Sara's office, Arroyo leaned against it heavily. His body was covered in a cold sweat, and his heart beat too swiftly. He reached into his waistband, and felt the sharp edge of the knife with his thumb. Determined once again, he hurried away down the corridor.

* * *

She hit her communicator. "T'Sara to LaForge."

 _"LaForge here. Are you finished meeting with Arroyo?"_

"Yes. I cannot clear him for duty at this time. In fact I will recommend to Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher that he be monitored for several days. In addition, Commander I strongly recommend a security detail be placed in Engineering for the time being."

"You think he's a threat to my people in Engineering? He scared the crap out of some of the newbies down here with all of that yelling earlier." The worry was evident in Geordi's voice.

"Ensign Arroyo has experienced a traumatic experience that he is still recovering from," replied T'Sara. "As such, he is sincerely distressed. But he is also being deliberately evasive. There are things he does not wish to tell me, and coupled with his erratic behavior, I recommend caution."

* * *

 **Elsewhere...**

"Wes...where have you been?" Beverly asked as she stepped away from Jean-Luc to face her son.

Wesley shrugged and hesitated looking from one parent to the other. Did he really want to tell his parents about what had happened between him and Q? Silently he decided that for now the answer was no. He offered his mom a nervous smile. "It seemed like I was just in the way...so I went for a walk."

His mother reached out to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Wesley...of course you weren't in the way," she reassured him.

"Is Seth okay?" Wes asked.

Beverly nodded. "He's fine for now. As much as I hate to admit it, we owe Lwaxana our thanks. She was able to communicate with the...the entity that is currently still existing inside Seth. We were able to contain the virus for now...for lack of a better way to explain it. He's resting in his room right now."

Wesley nodded. "I'll go and check on him then." He felt his mother's palm tighten on his shoulder affectionately.

Suddenly his father cleared his throat and shifted his feet. "Wesley if you'd like to talk with me about anything..."

Wesley halted his exit and glanced at his mother who was now giving his father the Look. His father's expression in turn was almost pained. Wesley sighed inwardly but couldn't help but smile a little at the Captain's attempt to slowly work on an apology for his escape to the bridge earlier. "Huh? No, it's alright," Wesley said.

His father now was visibly relieved, but his mother was now glaring at his father. Wesley paced away, not much interested in becoming involved in a heated exchange. And yet as he reached the doorway to Seth's bedroom, he recalled a very different version of his father sitting alone at a dusty dining room table, and Wesley turned back to Picard. "Sir... I'm sorry for what I said earlier...most of it anyway," he clarified.

* * *

As soon as Wesley had exited the living room, Beverly turned back to Jean-Luc with a bemused expression. "What was that all about?"

He smoothed his hair. "Ah..." He took a deep breath. "It's nothing, really."

"Really." She crossed her arms and waited, watching him. "What happened between you two?"

"Just as you said, Beverly...you sent Wesley to find me. He found me alright, and when I told him I was going up to the bridge he accused me of walking away from him." She blinked, still watching him.

"He compared me to Jack...and it seems that I came up short," admitted Jean-Luc. There...he'd said it. She had wanted him to be honest. He could almost hear Q's approximation of a voice laughing at him mockingly. But he didn't care. If it killed him he would do anything he could to please Beverly. But far from appearing pleased, she looked as though she regretted having asked the question.

"Oh," she said, now looking decidedly uncomfortable. "He mentioned Jack?"

Picard nodded. "Yes." He studied her face. "What's wrong?" He ventured. Several months ago he wouldn't have been able to discern whether she was bothered at all by something he'd said, which of course had created problems for him. Presently though he still struggled to understand her moods, which seemed to change with just a poorly- or well-chosen word from him.

Beverly smiled, but she continued to look uneasy. "I wish you wouldn't compare yourself to Jack."

He frowned, still trying to gauge her reaction. "Why?"

"Because you're not him and he's not you..."

"Meaning? Meaning I don't measure up to Jack when it comes to Wesley and you...so why try?"

"Jean-Luc, I never said that! You're the one who insists on competing with Jack."

He laughed. "Oh come on...Jack's done his fair share of competing for your affections, Beverly."

She walked toward him. "Is this what you're upset about? That I've been comparing you to Jack? That I'm keeping some kind of score sheet?"

He fell silent but then said, "Well I wouldn't refer to myself as _upset_...exactly."

"Then if you're not upset, what are you?" she asked taking his hand in hers. She moved closer and then kissed him softly before pulling back to look at him. "Annoying?" She kissed him again. "Jealous?" By then she could tell he was hardly listening to her. He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Tasha entered her quarters at a near run. The vision of Caine in her mind from all those years ago had set her in motion. As she quickly stripped off her workout clothes and stepped into the shower, she struggled to keep her useful thoughts separate from the dark memories that seeped through her subconscious, always threatening to interfere with her orderly life. She was expert at keeping them at bay. At least until joining this crew, she had been an expert at keeping the demons away. Meeting Captain Picard had changed everything. Now she had something...or rather someone to believe in. And now that they were on their way to find Riker, now that she knew Caine was involved in Riker's disappearance, Tasha knew that Picard was at grave risk. And all because Caine _knew_.

Caine knew about the light...and like her he would never forget it. He might even seek it out. Yar knew that when they met again, Caine even after all of these years would associate her with that captivating, powerful light. In truth, Tasha could not be certain that the light that had protected her all those years ago was the same light she had witnessed Picard summon on board the Reman ship. But somewhere in her very being-although she did not believe she had a soul-Yar knew that it was the same light.

And if the captain somehow had learned to harness the power of the light during his eleven year alien imprisonment, Caine might find this out. She couldn't allow that to happen. But how to stop him from finding out? _I wonder if the captain would ever share this power with me._ As quickly as the thought formed, it passed through her brain. What a strange and foolish thought, she scolded herself. And her thoughts returned again to her nemesis, Caine.

Caine was the man who had killed both of her parents before her young eyes...and yet he was also the man who had taken the orphaned Tasha and Ishara under his protection, when the capitol city of Turkana IV was suffering under his reign of terror. Sometimes when she thought of her parents she felt guilty, she even felt at times that her life meant nothing at all because she had allowed them to die and then had not avenged them. Instead, everything she had learned at that age had been taught to her by the man who murdered her parent.

And that was why she would not speak of her parents, and avoided even cursory thoughts of them. Even her protector Gilda had been unable to convince her to let go of these feelings of self-hate. She had come to believe they were required in order to survive-they were her lifeblood. Only someone who had lived through what she had would understand this.

Yar shut off the hot water and stepped out of the shower, toweling off her short hair. As usual she bypassed the mirror entirely. She had an appearance that was important to her to maintain, but it certainly required very little effort. She got dressed in a clean uniform efficiently, automatically, but her inner thoughts would not cease. She walked out in to her cramped living area and glanced around. It looked like no one lived in her quarters. A black duffel bag, still half unpacked sat on her desk chair. A security data pad lay on the desk. Her gaze focused at the sound of beeping. She had a message. She frowned, knowing that if it was really important someone would have called her on her communicator. But then, she had been in the shower. Maybe someone had called. She walked over to the computer screen on her desk. "Computer, do I have any messages?"

 _You have one message from Lt. Commander T'Sara, marked personal_.

"Shit."

 _Please repeat your request, Lieutenant Yar._

She squeezed her hands into fists anxiously, and seriously considered telling the computer to simply delete the message. She didn't need the hassle of a relationship with anyone right now, much less with a woman who made a point of trying to make her feel like an idiot on a regular basis. She'd thought maybe a Vulcan would be easier-no guessing about how the other person was feeling; but it hadn't been simple at all. A counselor who wanted to psycho-analyze her and put her experiences into neat order. Nope, she didn't need the trouble. But she sat down anyway, and waved her hand over the comm. button. To her relief it was a typed message:

 _"Lieutenant Yar. I want to offer my apologies to you. I believe that it would be inappropriate to engage with you further in any way...or any place other than in a professional setting. While not in your direct chain of command I am your superior officer. Therefore it would be unethical for me to pursue a personal relationship with you. I will admit, I find you attractive, perhaps because you possess unusual emotional control for a non-Vulcan. However, as counselor, I am now aware that I may have been intrigued more by your troubled history than-"_

Yar stood up quickly and slammed her fist down onto the computer.

 _Message deleted_ , said the computer.

Yar pushed away the natural feeling of rejection that continued to linger. T'Sara wasn't worth her time. She didn't need a relationship anyway. She just needed to blow off steam every now and then. Good thing there were plenty of other single people on board the Enterprise to choose from.

She walked to the center of the room. She was unsettled, and she needed to feel calm before meeting with the Captain. "Computer, palm print recognition," she said and raised her hand into the air. Instantly a floating magenta globe of energy appeared, and she placed her palm against it. The strength of the energy field ebbed and she placed her hand inside. Pulling out the floating chain with the small key attached, she looped it immediately over her head, and tucked it down underneath her uniform. Right away she felt a little better. She glanced across the room where the box with her drawings lay hidden. She told herself she didn't need to open it right now. Maybe later. She needed to keep her mind on the enemy.

Caine. The only thing that had stopped Caine from killing seven year old Ishara that day, had been the alien light that had appeared and had effectively stunned Caine, allowing Tasha and Ishara to escape him. Of course, Tasha had seen that light before it had intervened on their behalf...back then she had seen it many times since her parents had lost their lives. It always seemed to arrive when she wished it to. To prove her connection to this light, she had kept the many pictures she'd drawn. But no one had ever asked her to prove anything when it came to the light, because no one knew anything about it; except for Caine and Ishara.

After escaping Caine, she and Ish had managed to stay together, scrambling here and there for about another two years, until Ishara had fallen in with a gang. Tasha hadn't pleaded with her little sister-even then that hadn't been her style. But she did warn Ishara; any involvement with a gang would lead back to Caine. And when Caine located Ishara he would kill her, as simple as that.

So Yar had traveled on alone, constructing more than a few makeshift shelters. She vowed to escape the planet. But as a young teen this was impossible. Caine controlled every transport that arrived on Turkana, and every transport that departed. So the only thing she'd had after Ishara left was the light. The light wasn't always there, but when she needed it, it would arrive. She was waiting for it the night that Gilda Stern and her small band of Starfleet officers had arrived on Turkana. And when Stern had offered her a way off of the failing world, instead of waiting for the light, Yar had made a choice that night. She had escaped with Gilda, never to return.

Yar shook off the memory and headed for the door. She slowed at the door, realizing the Captain was probably not currently on the bridge. "Computer...where is Captain Picard?"

 _Captain Picard is in his quarters._

* * *

She was tickling his stomach again. It was one of her favorite things to do, he knew. It made it difficult to concentrate because her hands were so smooth, and he never knew where she was going to place them next. So he tried to keep his breathing even, which was even more difficult as her tongue lightly grazed his teeth. She seemed to never tire of ways to tease him. "Beverly," he mumbled.

"Shh," she said quietly. "Don't say anything about the bridge, because I don't want to hear it," she said, dropping her head to kiss his beneath his chin.

"I was just going to say-oh-" he broke off as his own hand wandered beneath her shirt and he was greeted by the exquisite softness that still seemed new. Her skin responded by forming into goosebumps, which sent a corresponding jolt through his body. His skin flushed as she pressed her upper body into his, and he turned moving her gently against the wall. Her kisses grew more assertive then and she rubbed the inside of her knee slowly up the outer edge of his thigh.

He sighed, leaning into her. "We can't do this here, as much as I enjoy being reckless with you," he murmured, looking into her eyes. They seemed large and an even deeper blue as she nodded, rubbing her cheek roughly against his. He had grabbed her hand to pull her away from the wall when the door chime sounded.

" _Goddamn it_ ," they both said at once.

Highly irritated, Beverly strode quickly over to the door. " _Yes?_ " she called out.

There was a hesitation. Whoever was out there hadn't expected to hear her voice on the other side of the door. But the voice was disciplined, and thoroughly polite. "Doctor, it's Lieutenant Yar. I'm sorry to disturb you, Doctor, but is Captain Picard available?"

Beverly looked over at Jean-Luc, who had regained his composure very quickly, which she found a bit annoying. "Are you available?" she mouthed the words silently and gave him a taunting half smile.

He made a face at her, because he didn't know how else to respond. "Come in, Lieutenant," he called out reluctantly.

* * *

The doors swished open and Yar stepped in hesitantly, glancing from Beverly to Picard. "Captain, Doctor Crusher," she said quietly. Yar could not help but notice that Doctor Crusher seemed highly annoyed that she had shown up, but she had to speak to the Captain. The skin on Crusher's neck and upper chest were flushed, indicating that Yar had indeed just interrupted something private. She regretted the awkwardness of the moment, but she was driven to speak to the Captain. Yar felt the Doctor watching her, so she kept her gaze polite and unfocused, waiting for the captain to respond.

Picard moved toward the dining room table. "Well, Lieutenant? What can I do for you?" He noted that Beverly's uniform top was unzipped slightly, which no doubt he had mindlessly done a few moments before. He recalled the conversation he and Beverly had had about Yar just yesterday, as well as the one he'd had just before that with Q. But Yar wasn't eyeing Beverly, and in fact kept her gaze carefully fixed on his. _I wish I had the same kind of discipline when it comes to Beverly,_ he thought.

"Sir," she said her eyes finally glancing briefly to Beverly. "It's a security matter."

Picard regarded the young woman's perfect posture and immaculate uniform. She was as tightly coiled as anyone he'd ever encountered. But was she a tightly coiled snake awaiting her unsuspecting prey, or just a tense young woman with a dark and complicated past? He still could not tell. She had bravely defended him against the Remans, and had already proven to be a skilled tactical officer. But now she was aware that he possessed the Power, although the extent of just what that meant to her was unclear as yet. But the truth was, he wanted to trust her. And yet he couldn't help but feel that if he did, he would soon regret it.

"I suppose that means that you would like me to leave," Beverly said coolly, addressing Yar.

For the first time, Yar appeared nervous under Beverly's pointed glare. She straightened slightly, and just glanced at the captain. "It will only take a few minutes, Captain," Yar said.

Beverly smiled slightly and walked toward Seth's room. "That's fine. I'll be in the other room."

"Sir," said Yar. "I'm very sorry to interrupt you-"

"It's too late for apologies, Lieutenant," Picard said a little more harshly than he had intended. He put his hand on the back of a chair. "You're here now," he said a little more gently. "So let's talk." When she continued to stand stiffly across the table from him he gestured at a chair. "Have a seat, Lieutenant," he offered, but she interpreted it as an order and sat down immediately.

He sat down across from her. "Well?"

"Sir I have something to tell you...I examined the holo vids of Commander Riker's capture several times. And I know one of the men responsible for his kidnapping."

Picard leaned back in his chair and regarded her curiously. "Of course I appreciate your candor, Lieutenant Yar. But we are four hours away from reaching Riker's location. How long have you known about this?"

She shook her head slightly. "Not long sir."

Was she lying? He couldn't tell. "And...how do you know this man? What is his name?"

"His name is Caine, Captain. He's human...essentially a mercenary, sir. Very dangerous."

" _How_ do you know him?" he asked again. "I'm not accustomed to having to repeat myself to my crew, Lieutenant."

"Yes sir. We crossed paths on my home planet sir. He was a trader. He's very dangerous and an expert killer, Captain."

"You said dangerous twice." Picard leaned forward and looked closely at Yar. "Does he know you are part of my crew?"

"No sir."

"And how would he react if he knew you were on board my ship? What would he do?"

Yar didn't hesitate. "He would try to kill me, Captain."

"Why?"

"Bad blood, sir."

Picard laughed and ran a hand over his face. "Oh...bad blood. _Explain_ , Lieutenant," he said growing serious again.

"I can't sir."

"You can't or you won't?"

Yar glanced away. "I won't have my officers lying to me, Yar."

"Yes sir."

Picard bit his bottom lip and looked down at the table. "You said he would want to kill you. And so...you intend to kill _him_ before he gets the chance, perhaps? Answer carefully, Lieutenant," he said gruffly.

This time she didn't avert her gaze, and looked him in the eye. "I wouldn't pass up the chance, sir."

"You wouldn't pass up the _chance_...Lieutenant might I remind you that you've taken an oath to uphold the principles of Starfleet. Violence should never be our first resort."

"Yes, sir. Of course."

He stood up, now peripherally aware that Beverly had re-entered the room and was watching them. "Lieutenant Yar, I want you to think very carefully about the future of your career over the next few hours. Our sole objective is to retrieve Commander Riker safely. I refuse to entertain your personal vendettas. And if I learn that you are defying my orders, or trying to circumvent them in the slightest, I will personally see you discharged from the Fleet. Am I clear?"

Yar jumped to her feet and stood at attention. "Yes sir. Perfectly sir."

Picard nodded curtly. "Very well then. Dismissed." He watched with a grave expression as she exited his quarters swiftly. Beverly took his hand in hers and looked closely at him. "What the hell was that all about?" she asked.

Picard took in a slow breath before meeting her gaze. "Bad blood."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading everyone...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

 **E** _ **ureka**_

Caine and Marco leaned over the tactical table showing a glowing outline of their ship the _Eureka_. Will Riker stood nearby.

Just a little while earlier, a deal had been struck with the Ferengi. Daimon Val had been convinced, albeit reluctantly, to meet Marco's Eureka at a specified area deeper within Orion space, and after being reassured that his map was enough to gain him a share, Val departed the sector.

The Ferengi had seemed satisfied that while Marco claimed the "final piece" required for their journey lay on board the _Enterprise_ in Picard's possession, Marco and Caine wouldn't be able to finish their journey without Val's map, which of course Val had kept on board his own ship. Riker was glad the Ferengi had left; they didn't need a Ferengi Marauder hanging in space next to them when the _Enterprise_ arrived to retrieve him.

Caine and Marco had been talking quietly for some time. But now Marco waved him over to his side. "Will, my friend, we need you over here." Riker grinned, happy to be useful and needed.

"How can I help?" asked Will as he strolled over to join them.

Marco's bright green eyes glittered, as he returned Riker's smile. "We're trying to figure out the perfect area of the ship to place you in...so your friends can find you."

Riker laughed. "Like a game," he said cheerfully.

Marco smiled. "Yes, a game," he agreed.

Caine looked at him, and he was not smiling. "The kind of game where people will die if we don't get what we want. Understood?"

Riker nodded, now used to Caine's heavy handed style. "Of course. But...maybe you could tell me now exactly what it is you're looking for. You know...what it is you think Picard has that you need?"

Marco's smile returned. "You're about to have a child soon with your wife, right?"

Riker nodded.

"Well I have a child...and he was stolen away from me. And now I know where he is. How does that make you feel, Will?"

Riker frowned. "It bothers me. I want to help you get him back."

"Picard has my child on board his ship. And if he can be convinced to help me-"

Riker broke into a smooth smile. "The same way that I was convinced?"

"Yes...just as you were convinced; then Picard will hand over my child to me, and we can all finish this journey together."

"And you know what happens if we can't convince your friend Picard to see things our way," Caine added with a cruel smile. "I'll kill him myself and we will take what we want."

Ignoring Caine's taunts, Riker closed his eyes and tried to remember whether Picard had a child or not. It seemed like it had been so very long since he had seen Picard. He did have a son...Wesley? No, not Wes...there was another kid he had taken in after the Borg invasion. "Seth!" he suddenly blurted out. He laughed. "Marco you've got your work cut out for you. Picard isn't going to hand that kid over to you while he's still breathing. Besides, what does Seth have that you need? He's just a little kid."

"Listen, all you need to know now is that Seth is mine...not Picard's." Marco put a hand on Riker's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "You trust me, don't you, Will? I can see that you do. But I need to know that you're loyal to me."

"Of course I am."

"Then tell us...are there any other ways for us to get Seth on board the _Eureka_ with us?"

Riker rubbed his chin thoughtfully for few moments before he realized something. "Can you hack into the Starfleet computer network?"

"Of course we can," Caine said. "How do you think we figured out you were on Betazed? In fact, we're locked into the network now. But as you know, certain things are still off limits."

Riker leaned on the tactical table. "Let's see..." Could he even remember the _Enterprise_ security codes? Suddenly, an important one came back to him. "Hold on." He typed a few codes into the panel he was leaning on.

"There," he said as a green hologram of a familiar shape now floated over the table. "It's the _Enterprise_ schematic."

Caine whistled. "Now that's a beauty."

"I know," Riker agreed. But somehow the star ship looked almost alien to him. This was his world now.

"If Seth is on board when they arrive, the odds are ten to one that the kid will be hunkered down in Picard's quarters. Where it's safe," Riker added, not realizing the irony of this very statement.

"Of course, they'll have to lower their shields in order to transport over to find me. Just beam out any life signs from this area here," he said enlarging the image with his hand and then pinpointing where the captain's quarters were located. "Picard doesn't know you're after the kid."

Marco laughed and clapped Riker on the back. "I told you Will would come through for us, Caine!"

Caine gave Marco a knowing smile as if to say "we'll see" and then turned to Riker. "What about Picard? Will he try and rescue you personally?"

"Probably," Riker admitted.

"But he won't come alone. Unless he's an idiot, " said Caine.

"From what I've heard, he's not," said Marco, leaning his elbows on the table. "He'll send others, no doubt. But how is he likely to make his move?" Marco looked up at Riker. As usual, he seemed curious but not worried.

Riker shrugged. "Picard is unpredictable as far as tactical moves are concerned. At least he has been since I've known him."

"What about his crew? Anyone we need to worry about?"

Riker tried to remember what each of their personalities were like. It was difficult though. Marco had welcomed him into a new world. "They're all the best at what they do," Will said. "But the good news is he won't be bringing his whole crew with him."

"A security force then?" Marco asked.

Riker froze. Something inside of him jolted at that word. _Security._ Yar was the new chief of security on board the Enterprise.

Caine's single cold blue eye narrowed. "What's gotten into you?"

"The Security Chief is...a handful," said Will, not sure how else to put it. He took a deep breath in feeling unsettled for the first time in days. "Her name's Yar."

Caine grew very still. "What did you say?" His voice was soft, yet filled with menace.

"Yar. Tasha Yar."

Caine began to laugh very slowly, which was odd, because he didn't laugh much as a rule. "Well let the games begin then."

* * *

 _"Data to Yar."_

Yar tapped her communicator, not slowing the pace of her steps. "Yar here, sir."

" _Lieutenant, we are approaching the coordinates and will arrive within less than two hours. Have you prepared your security teams?"_

"Yes sir." In fact she'd just left the two training teams after a final drill on the holodeck. Ensign Ashley Howell could now break the once impossible arm lock, and within seconds. Yar smiled, satisfied with the progress of her team, under the circumstances.

 _"Good. There is something else, Lieutenant Yar. The ship we presume is holding Commander Riker has dropped its shields. Although we are not close enough to confirm that he is in fact on board the vessel, we were able to gather enough information from the sensors to prepare a rough schematic of the inside of the ship. I am forwarding this information to your security office momentarily."_

It was all Yar could do not to shout out in premature triumph. If they had a map of the ship then they would have that much more of an advantage over Caine and his people. "Understood, sir. I will send you a report within the hour. Yar out."

"Yar to Ensign Chandra."

 _"Chandra here, sir."_

 _"_ Meet me in my office in five. We've got more work to do."

" _Aye sir."_

* * *

Beverly was propped up on an elbow, staring at him in the low light of his bedroom. He stared back, trying to memorize the gentle curve of her shoulder, in case all good fortune left him suddenly and she disappeared never to return to him. Sometimes he still feared that might happen.

Presently he realized she had said his name twice, because she now rested her palm on his bare chest and was tapping her fingers lightly, which she sometimes did to gain his attention.

"Jean-Luc...you're _not_ listening to me," she scolded him quietly.

"Hmm? Yes I am," he said.

"You are _now,_ but you weren't a moment ago."

"Oh," he scoffed. "Of course I was!"

She leaned over on her elbow and laughed up at the ceiling. "Oh?" She challenged, looking at him again. "Then what did I say?"

"Something about the angle of the ceiling not being right," he ventured. "You were questioning the judgment of the engineer who constructed this-"

She shook her head. "Jean-Luc...I asked you what her _angle_ was."

"Her...angle?"

"Yar!"

"Oh, her." He paused. "I don't know. Does she have one?"

Beverly rolled onto her back and covered her eyes with a groan. "You tell me. You're the one with extra senses, remember?"

"I have been trying to use those at a minimum...based on one of our recent conversations."

Beverly sighed next to him but said nothing.

"I'm not sure that she has an angle at all," he said eventually, now staring up at the ceiling.

"You sound as if you are starting to trust her." Her tone seemed to contain a challenge, but he was having some difficulty reading it.

He remembered Beverly telling him over the last week how important honesty and communication were to a relationship. And yet it didn't always go so well for him when he was honest and communicative. "I might be," he said carefully, but it came out sounding like a question.

Beverly shut her eyes and recalled Yar's fleeting glances at her when she had arrived outside Jean-Luc's door just a few hours before. It had distantly reminded her of the way Jean-Luc looked at her when Jack had first introduced them years before. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Eventually she sat up and threw off the covers. "Are you attracted to her?"

He sat up slowly and looked at her. "No. I mean, not really..."

She eyed him. "Which is it? No, or not really?"

He rubbed his eyes. Why was she bringing this up right now? "I-it's hard to explain." He pulled the covers around him suddenly feeling very chilly.

"Try."

"Alright...well, she is physically attractive." He said it easily, to prompt her to agree with him over such an obvious fact.

Beverly merely smiled mysteriously at him before pulling her legs up to her chest. She looked away from him and rested her chin on her knees. "And?"

" _But_ ," he emphasized. "She is very much like me," he said slowly. "Too much like me in many ways. It's quite unsettling."

 _I know it is._ She turned her head slightly to look at him again. "It's unsettling to be attracted to some other version of yourself, or unsettling that you can't be attracted to her like you were before?"

He threw up his hands. "Well, now you are just trying to confuse me."

Beverly rested her forehead on her knees, and her body began to shake. He placed a hand on her back, which felt very warm. Was she crying? Suddenly she let out a small snort. "Hey!" He poked her in the ribs with his finger, causing her to laugh openly now. "You were setting me up," he protested.

She continued laughing and grabbed her bathrobe nearby, and slid to the edge of the bed, throwing it on. she looked back at him. "I might have been," she admitted with a smile. But something in her was relieved to be free of the subject of Natasha Yar, at least for the moment.

He reached out to grab her hand, but she stood up and wrapped the robe around herself. She laughed again. "I see you giving me the eye again, Jean-Luc. But you've got to get dressed. Now you really have to go to the bridge. And I need to go check on Seth's condition before returning to sick bay."

Jean-Luc sighed and grumbled to himself, getting out of bed and grabbing his own bathrobe. He had just tightened the belt when Seth appeared in the doorway of his bedroom.

* * *

"What's wrong?" he asked, somewhat alarmed by Seth's appearance. It wasn't just that the boy was recovering from illness and surgery; he looked worried.

Seth looked from Beverly to Jean-Luc. "We have to go back."

Jean-Luc walked forward. "Go back? Go back where?"

Beverly knelt down beside the boy and took his hand.

"He keeps saying that." She looked up as Wesley had arrived and was leaning in the doorway watching them.

"We have to leave Orion space," Seth confirmed.

"Why?" Picard asked.

"The person in my neck...the virus, I mean."

Beverly shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand... is it communicating with you somehow?"

Seth shook his head. "No. But I can tell what it's thinking."

Picard crossed his arms over his chest. "And what does it want?"

"To...get to its destination. The others are looking for it."

"Others? What others?" Wesley asked. He realized then that he and his father were standing in the exact same posture, and he dropped his arms to his sides.

Seth shrugged. "I'm not sure...its relatives, maybe? I don't know. I can't understand everything it's thinking."

"Well...what you're hearing sounds fairly consistent with what Mrs. Troi reported, Seth," said Beverly.

"What if this thing hurts Seth?" Wesley asked. "I don't understand why we can't just remove it."

"Wes, we've tried," said Beverly gently. "Through Lwaxana it essentially threatened us, remember?" She didn't want to alarm Seth, who had been unconscious in sick bay. But it seemed he was now all too aware of the creature's intentions.

"What do you think will happen if it reaches its destination?" Picard asked Seth.

"I'm not sure," said Seth. "But I think it wants to kill. It needs to kill to survive."

* * *

Yar pointed at the three dimensional diagram. "There are main access points here and here. I want you to beam your team into this area here. Have one of your technicians attempt to disable their propulsion systems. The distortion here caused by the core may disguise the beam in at least buying you a few minutes."

Isaac Chandra nodded at his superior. "What about your team, Chief?"

"I'll take my team in first," said Yar, staring intently at the map. "I'll make enough of a distraction that they may not expect your team beaming in. Let them think we're careless, Isaac," she said. "Their ignorance will be our advantage."

"Good plan. What about Riker?"

"Just as we've been training for. Assuming he's been hidden we'll use his transporter signature programmed into our tricorders and match it with the real Riker, locating him that way. If he's out in the open we'll negotiate...but in my experience in this line of work negotiations aren't usually successful." She handed a small chip to Chandra. "Transmit this report to Commander Data immediately."

* * *

Yar wasn't sure why she walked down toward Counselor T'Sara's office that afternoon. She paused at a juncture and watched as the counselor continued an intense conversation with Chief Engineer LaForge. She observed a mixture of annoyance and curiosity, recalling that LaForge had asked for a security detail in engineering a few hours ago. Some kind of personnel issue with a disgruntled engineer. She'd let Isaac Chandra handle the matter, and then had been so involved in planning Riker's rescue that she had neglected to follow up with him and ask the outcome.

Now realizing that T'Sara had been somehow involved in the personnel issue and didn't think to consult her about security measures irritated Yar. Even more irritating was the growing feeling of irrational jealousy she began to experience, watching the two officers discuss something she knew was just a routine matter.

Almost as if on cue, T'Sara glanced up and met her gaze. A single raise of the woman's eyebrow was her only acknowledgment that Yar had interrupted her conversation. Feeling the slow burn of humiliation grow inside her, she cursed herself for standing there like an idiot. Geordi didn't notice her, so Tasha turned on her heel and went in the other direction turning the corner into a new corridor.

The sole occupants of the hallway were the two Klingon asylees who had recently beamed over from the bird of prey. She'd met them on the initial beam over, and had been greeted by silent and hostile stares-nothing particularly odd for Klingons. But what _had_ been strange was the look of alarmed recognition they had both given her.

She couldn't help but recall the expression of familiar distrust on Beverly Crusher's face at the introductory staff meeting. Similarly these Klingons seemed to know her. And yet, they were unfamiliar to her. Of course the Klingons appeared to know Data, and Captain Picard as well. She reminded herself to do a proper investigation once Riker was safely back on board the Enterprise. For now she had bigger worries than a couple of refugee Klingons.

She strode by the Klingon couple without a word. Klingons hated to be ignored. The male, Worf was his name-merely glared at her. But his wife Krala growled at Yar. " _Chotwl_."

Yar spun around and walked back to face the towering couple.

"Did you just call me a murderer?"

"You speak Klingon," Krala growled, sounding disappointed. Worf put a restraining hand on her arm. They had been briefed by Data and Picard and understood not to engage with Yar as though they knew her. Apparently his mate had already forgotten these instructions.

Worf's bushy eyebrows knitted together. "Forgive Krala. She trusts no one."

"That doesn't change the fact that you are on my ship...and you just insulted me," said Yar.

Worf bared his teeth. " _Your_ ship? I was informed that Captain Picard commanded this vessel."

Yar rose to her full height which was still far shorter than either Klingon. "And I am his chief of security. So if I decide you pose a threat to this crew, your little political asylum safety zone will be over just like that."

Worf glowered at her as she resumed her walk past them down the corridor.

"As _chief_ of security no doubt you are preparing your teams to retrieve Commander Riker," Worf called after her. She stopped but didn't turn around. "Krala and I offer our assistance. We _will_ kill to protect Captain Picard...and those loyal to him." When Yar turned to face Worf and Krala again, she saw they were already headed in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Mother I need you to try your best not to meddle in the affairs of my friends," Deanna nearly shouted. "Will 's life is at stake, and the best you can do is worry about Captain Picard and his alien powers. It's none of your business, can't you understand that?"

"What I understand, Deanna, is that you should be resting, not persecuting the only mother you have."

"Mother!" Deanna staggered to the side all of a sudden. Lwaxana rushed forward to steady her.

Deanna put a hand under her abdomen and looked up at her mother. "Uh oh."

Lwaxana wrung her hands up at the ceiling. "Computer! Oh where is that blasted computer when you need it? Always offering directions when you don't need them or ordering the wrong breakfast-"

" _Ambassador Troi. Do you have a request?"_ Interrupted the ship's computer.

"Yes! Yes of course I do. BEAM us to sick bay. Immediately!"

* * *

Once the Klingons had rounded the bend and were out of sight, Yar relaxed somewhat. Seeing T'Sara and now these two Klingons had unsettled her. Absently she reached under her shirt and pulled out the chain, gripping the key in her fist. She dropped her head down, trying to relax her tense muscles.

The attack came out of nowhere. The assailant struck from behind, stabbing her in her lower right side. She twisted and pummeled the attacker in the face with the back of her elbow. He staggered back and pulled the knife with him. The pain of the weapon exiting her side caused her to black out for just a few seconds. She staggered briefly in a circle before she sunk to her knees, holding her bloody hand to her back, and tried to watch the man race away down the hall. Breathing through the excruciating pain she leaned against the wall, gasping. She wouldn't pursue him. Not for now. Instead she had to get to her quarters. She had to take care of this herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"I can't support you in this, Jean-Luc! You have a family to think about now. Will you _please_ give the blind heroics a rest? You saved the universe a few months ago, and now you just can't wait to risk your life to save Will Riker."

"Exactly," he agreed. "Beverly what did you think...that when we arrived in Orion territory I would just let someone else go and rescue my friend? Besides Yar's plan is solid. It should work, and we'll have Riker back soon enough."

Beverly pointed at him. "I want Will back as much as you do, Jean-Luc. But if Yar's plan is so good, _she_ can go. I don't want to lose you. I've already lost you once before."

"Beverly," Picard walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't move away from him, and returned his embrace, but he knew she was still unhappy with him.

"Are you going to come back to me?" She leaned her chin on his shoulder.

He pulled back to look at her, gripping her shoulders. "Of course I am. Remember, the power is still with me, and it won't let anything happen to me."

She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Jean-Luc, when I knew you eleven years ago, and before that, you were different...you thought things through. You didn't just rush blindly into dangerous situations. _You_ were the voice of reason. Relying on your friend the power to save you isn't a real plan. This isn't like you."

He dropped his hands from her shoulders. "Beverly...we've been over this. This the way I am now."

"So I had better get used to it?"

"I didn't say that. I'm trying the best I can, but yes, I have changed since being with the Q."

"But you're not a Q anymore, Jean-Luc...or are you?"

* * *

Tasha's vision was beginning to turn blurry, and she only retained the presence of mind to fix her predicament out of sheer will. She had survived many times before, and would do so again. Leaning forward she placed one bloody palm on the deck still holding her lower back with the other. Her attacker had been an amateur...some nut job. It had been a man...she'd heard his breathing and heard him grunt when she had struck him with her elbow. She attempted to think it through, trying to focus on something other than the excruciating burning in her side.

Yar had made her share of enemies in her young life, but not one who bore watching had been on the Enterprise-at least as far as she'd known before this had happened. So who had it been? Right now it didn't matter, she decided. She'd track him down, and when she did, she wouldn't be as sloppy about finishing the job as he had been.

Groaning, she pushed away from the deck and staggered to her feet. Something about the movement seemed to speed up the flow of blood from the wound, and it rushed down her leg as a pool of blood quickly began to accumulate on the deck at her feet. She nearly blacked out again. She knew she wouldn't be able to make it back to her quarters without someone seeing her. And if she reported to sick bay, she would be taken off the duty roster. That was an unacceptable option. In fact, for her it was no option at all. She had to lead the team to retrieve Riker, and there would be no compromise.

She imagined the look of disappointment on the captain's face when he learned she was unfit for duty and had let him down. Suddenly she heard voices coming around the bend. She made sure she was standing over the growing blood stain on the carpet. "Computer... emergency site to site transport, from my current location, to my quarters, code Yar TE." Transport was immediate and when she arrived in her quarters, the blood from the deck carpeting made a gruesome splattering sound as it re-materialized along with her.

Tasha fumbled around in her black duffel bag and found the field med kit. There were some minimal analgesics for pain, an antiseptic, a small dermal knitter and field bandages. It would have to do for now.

* * *

Beverly tucked the covers up around Seth's neck but he immediately pushed them off. "Now what is wrong?" She asked. "Are you too hot?"

"I don't want to stay in bed," the boy grumbled.

"I understand," she said. "Just for a few more hours. You're still in acute recovery from the surgery."

He frowned. "I'm not cute," he disagreed.

"Yes, you are cute, but that's not what I meant," she explained with a small smile before glancing at the clock. "I have to go to work now. Your big brother is going to hang out with you here...alright?"

Seth nodded, seeing Wesley in the doorway. "Let's play a game or something," he said to Wes.

Wes smiled, despite his uneasiness. He'd heard his parents arguing earlier and he knew his father intended to accompany the security teams to rescue Riker. For some reason he had never felt so alone. "Yeah, okay," he agreed, determined not to be a jerk about it with Seth. It wasn't the kid's fault all of this was happening. They just needed to get Riker back alive, and then things could go back to normal. Whatever that meant. "What do you want to play?"

"How about chess?" Seth asked perking up.

Wesley smiled. "Sure."

Suddenly the communications panel chirped. _"Sick bay to Doctor Crusher. We thought you should know...Deanna Troi has been admitted and she is ready to give birth."_

Beverly kissed Wesley on the cheek as she rushed out. "Bye, honey, I'll see you soon." Later on she would regret not having stayed with them.

* * *

"Approaching the coordinates, Commander," said the helmsman.

Data leaned forward in the command chair. "Please notify Captain Picard," he ordered.

"Notify me of what?"

Data stood up and turned as Captain Picard strode onto the bridge.

"We have entered the Valdi sector, Captain, and will rendezvous with the targeted vessel in 31.62 minutes."

Picard cracked his knuckles. "Very well. I'm ready, as they say, to get the show on the road."

Data tilted his head curiously. "'They' say, sir?"

"Never mind, Data, it's a figure of speech. No one really knows who 'they' are anyway," he admitted.

Data tilted his head again. "I see."

Q's voice suddenly popped into his brain. _"We need to talk, Picard. Before your little adventure...not after."_

Picard sighed. "Data, I'll be in in my ready room for the next few minutes."

* * *

"What is it Q? And why must you always arrive in such a dramatic fashion?" Q's disembodied head floated in mid-air above his own.

"Picard, could it be you are jealous of a certain flair that I possess which you sadly lack?"

"Out with it, Q," he said tiredly, sitting on the edge of his desk.

"Cracks, as they say, are beginning to appear."

"Who's 'they'?"

"It doesn't matter, Picard, no one actually knows who _'they'_ are."

"I know."

"My _point_ is that certain events are beginning to unfold which will make things very difficult to determine just what will happen with Yar."

Picard folded his arms slowly over his chest. "Care to elaborate?"

"I shouldn't have to," Q practically shouted. "You have the ability to see as I do, you are just too lazy to use your power to its full potential."

"And clearly that bothers you...but I told you, I'm not a Q anymore. This power is with me, because it decided to be, Q. My relationship with the power is independent of the Q."

Q scoffed. " _Relationship._ I have no idea why the Crusher woman continues to tolerate your arrogance. It _must_ be love," said Q seriously.

"It _is_. Anyway, the power and I act as a team only when it is necessary. Feeling left out, Q?"

Q's floating eyes narrowed. "Why do you taunt me, Picard? Does our friendship mean that little to you?"

Picard rolled his eyes. "Of course, we're still friends, Q...now is that all you wanted to discuss? I am about to be quite busy in a few minutes."

"Yes, yes, Riker and all of that...as I was saying, Yar's fate is becoming less and less clear, Picard. You _must_ proceed with caution from here on in."

"Or what?"

Q's floating eyebrows raised in apparent disbelief. " _Must_ I say it, Picard? We both know what everyone's greatest fear is. It is entirely upon you to ensure that your power does not fall into the wrong hands."

"Is there someone I should be concerned about aside from Yar? Because to be honest with you, Q, Yar is very different now from when she conquered the Q and almost destroyed the universe."

"Make sure she stays that way, Jean-Luc."

Picard shrugged and headed for the door. "I'm sorry, Q, but I really must be going."

Q called after him. "You used to be interesting to talk to, Picard...perhaps I should engage your son in another conversation. He seems to be a young person who would appreciate the chance to wield omnipotence...unlike his ungrateful father."

Picard halted and spun around slowly on his heel. Q had entered the room in his full human form now. They glared at one another and the lights flickered in the room. Picard felt his chest warm and the power began to glow a bright white light from his torso.

Q wagged his finger back and forth. "Temper, temper, Mon Capitan. Of course... I am glad you are still capable of using what you have."

"Have you been talking to my son?" Picard demanded in a low voice.

"Yes," said Q. "He needed to know that his selfish and egotistical father will never change. And he needed to hear it from me. I must say he was more receptive than I would have given him credit for..."

"Stay away from my son Q. He's not another of your experiments."

Q smiled. "I'll stay away from him...if he stays away from me. That's all I will promise. Good luck saving Riker using the might of your _human_ powers." Then he snapped his fingers and was gone in a flash of light.

Picard clapped his hands together so furiously that the computer sitting on his desk exploded in a cloud of ash. _Damn._ He snapped his fingers and the computer returned as good as new. _Damn that Q._

 _Jean-Luc, you must calm your emotions,_ said the power. _If you intend to keep me a secret from the officers on your bridge._

 _I know...but I am having so much difficulty with almost everything. Beverly wants me to be more...human I suppose._

 _What do you want to be, Jean-Luc?_

 _I want to be with Beverly. I want to be what she wants me to be._

 _And yet she continues to be displeased with you, and you do not understand why._

 _Correct. What do I do?_

 _I cannot tell you what to do...but I am here to help, Jean-Luc. We are friends._

 _Thank you._

* * *

He leaned over the desk. He needed to talk to her again once before he departed. He didn't like the way things had been left between them. _"But you're not a Q anymore, Jean-Luc...or are you?"_ He closed his eyes, wishing that he had told her "no" when he had the chance. Instead he had just stared at her like an idiot until she had walked away. He had left her with uncertainty. He tapped his communicator. "Picard to Crusher."

 _"Crusher here...Captain, I'm working, what is it?"_

"Oh, I see. I was hoping you might have a few minutes to talk."

 _"I'm sorry Captain. Deanna is having her baby, and I have to stay with her. Can it wait until later?"_

He looked down at the desk, and for some reason suddenly felt as though he would cry. "Oh...yes," he said. "Yes it can. Tell Deanna...tell her I am thinking of her."

 _"I'll tell her, Captain."_

"Doctor?"

 _"Yes, Captain?"_

"I love you."

There was a pause. _"I love you too, Jean-Luc. Be safe."_

He straightened and then looked down. There was still a faint glow, and he had to wait for it to completely subside before stepping back onto the bridge.

* * *

Data stood up. "Are you alright, Captain?"

 _He must have heard the computer explode, but he's not saying so._ "Yes...yes, Data, I'm fine. I am sorry I took so long, I was collecting my thoughts."

Data nodded, seeming to understand. "Do you have them all now, sir?"

"What?"

"Your thoughts, sir. Were you successful in collecting them?"

Picard smiled. "Yes, Data, for the most part." He moved to walk by his second in command, when Data stepped in his way, just subtly enough to get his attention. He looked on with mild surprise. "Yes, Data?"

"Sir the security teams have arrived in transporter room two as ordered."

"And?"

"And there is something else sir," Data said lowering his voice slightly. "At approximately 1632 hours Captain, there was an unauthorized site to site transport from this location here," he said showing Picard a data pad with a glowing icon. "To here," he said touching the screen lightly showing Picard the transport destination.

"Yar's quarters?" he said out loud.

"Yes sir," said Data.

Picard patted Data on the shoulder. "Thank you for letting me know, Mr. Data. We'll depart in fifteen minutes."

"Good luck, Captain."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Diplomatic Vessel somewhere in Orion territory:**

Jack Crusher leaned intently, his palm on the back of the pilot's chair. "How long until we reach them?"

"Assuming they stay planted at their current coordinates, sir...about sixteen hours."

Jack turned to look at Walker, who had just stepped into the tiny bridge. No doubt he had been hanging out with his mysterious prisoner down in the the cargo hold. He shook his head. "Sixteen hours is much too long, Walker. We've got to find some other way to intercept them."

Walker sat down in a chair and looked up at his friend. "You coming along was not a good idea, Jack."

"Why?"

"Because you and Beverly and Jean-Luc have too many unresolved issues."

"We'd have those issues whether we're together or not, Walker. You know that."

"This isn't the time to hash your issues out with them either-"

"My family is out here, Walker. And if Jean-Luc is still _confused_ about who he is...they're not safe around him."

"Come on, Jack, not that again."

"What, you don't agree with me?"

.Walker evaded the question. "What about your duties back on Earth?"

"Being a politician isn't the same as being a starship captain. I have basically free reign now."

Walker watched his friend closely. "Bullshit...there's something you're not telling me."

Jack broke into a smooth smile. "You're not the only one who has access to classified information, Walker."

Walker leaned back in the chair and sighed. "So, that's how it's going to be? More secrets..."

Jack nodded and sat down across from Keel. "Unfortunately, that's how it has to be for now. Now let's talk about how we intercept the Enterprise in less than sixteen hours."

"We're not intercepting them, Jack... at least not yet."

Jack slammed his hand on the table. "What?"

Walker stood up, unmoved by Jack's angry response. "I'm making an executive decision. You may be along for the ride, but we're doing this my way."

* * *

 _ **The Eureka**_

"The Federation ship is approaching," Samla reported, turning to Marco, who stood just behind her. "Our shields remain down, as you ordered, Marco."

Marco rubbed his hands together and grinned. "Is everyone in place?"

"Yes," said Caine gruffly, approaching from behind. "The bait is set in the trap."

Marco nodded. "Good, Riker is where he's supposed to be. We're ready then."

"Life signs at the target location?"

"Two humanoids."

Marco's gaze fixed triumphantly on the view screen. "That's got to be my son. We're not wasting any time. As soon as they beam aboard to find Riker, you're beaming those two lifeforms on board and we are getting out of here. No mistakes."

"No mistakes, means someone has to die," Caine said with a smile.

"As always, whatever you need to do..."

* * *

When Picard strode into the transporter room, Worf and Krala were already there, and heavily armed. How they had brought so many sharp weapons and explosives aboard his ship without anyone noticing was a mystery. Good thing they were friendly...to a degree. The security teams stood nearby eyeing the Klingons with suspicion, while Yar appeared to be engaged in an intense debate with Worf. Picard was immediately concerned by her pale, drawn expression. He considered that six months ago he would have been happy to see the mighty Yar vulnerable; but now, his reaction was the opposite.

"Sir," said Yar, turning as he entered the room. "I've asked them to leave, but-"

"Lieutenant, they are coming with us. They will be valuable allies, I can assure you."

Yar's face grew even paler. "Us? But sir, I have to object to you coming along. It's too dangerous for the Captain."

"That's my friend over there on that ship, Lieutenant," he said catching her gaze and holding it. "I think you understand why I have to do this."

Yar didn't look pleased, but she nodded. "Of course sir." She blinked and he could see suddenly that she appeared to be in pain. But then the temporary weakness passed and her hard expression returned. "Everyone is ready, sir."

He took her arm lightly and pulled her aside. Her muscles were completely tensed, and for a moment he wondered if she was going to strike him. "Lieutenant," he said quietly. "Are you quite well?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir," she said carefully. He watched as a beads of sweat broke on her forehead. "Fine sir."

"Because," Picard continued slowly. "You look positively ill. Additionally... for some reason the internal sensors recorded an unauthorized transport from a corridor on Deck 13 directly to your quarters, about an hour and a half ago. Was that you, Lieutenant?" he asked pointedly.

To her credit, there was no hesitation. "Yes sir...I was testing out my emergency site to site transport program."

"I don't know why...but I know you are not telling me the entire truth. I cannot allow this mission to be compromised because of your incredible stubbornness. Now we can go forward with this mission as planned, or I can order you to remain here. Which will it be?"

Yar straightened stiffly, but her tone was almost pleading. "I have to go sir. I have to see this through."

He nodded slowly and then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then that makes two of us, Lieutenant. Let's go."

* * *

"Are you worried about Jean-Luc?"

Wesley glanced from the chess platform down at Seth who sat cross-legged on the floor of his room. "Mom's going to kill you if you don't get off the floor and back in bed," he warned his brother. "Besides you can't even reach the game from down there. Quit fooling around...you're the one who wanted to play."

Reluctantly Seth climbed back up onto his bed next to Wesley and propped himself up with a pillow. "I don't feel like playing anymore," he said.

Wes carefully turned his knight on its side. "Me neither."

"Are you worried about Jean-Luc?" Seth asked again.

"Yeah," Wes said simply. "But...he's got the power of the Q. He can use it whenever he wants," he said in a stronger voice, trying to convince himself of something of which he was unsure.

"Yeah," said Seth, now sucking on a hard candy. "I bet he's invincible."

Wesley pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned his head back against the wall. "He is," he said softly. "He's always been invincible."

Both boys looked up when he heard panting, and Marca sauntered into the room, tail wagging. It made both he and Seth laugh for some reason. "Why is she always panting, it's not that hot in here," Wesley said. He'd never been around animals very much before Marca, and understood now that he had been missing out.

Now Seth was the expert, having known the dog for much longer. "That's just what dogs do. Besides, I think she likes to breathe on you," he giggled.

"I really wish she wouldn't," Wes laughed. As if prompted by his words, the huge dog began to climb up into his lap. "Marca!" he protested, but she began to lick his face, and he had to fall backward in an attempt to escape her giant tongue. "Is she ever going to stop growing?" He called to Seth from underneath the dog.

Seth just laughed harder. "Not if Jean-Luc keeps feeding her root beer floats."

* * *

"Just hold my hand very tightly, Deanna," Beverly said.

Deanna nodded and exhaled deeply, clasping Beverly's hand in her own.

Beverly nodded to Alyssa. "All set?"

"Yes Doctor, ready to proceed."

Beverly looked down at Deanna. "We're ready when you are, Deanna. Now it's not going to hurt one bit; Alyssa has seen to that. But you are going to feel pressure as the baby is coming. Now you use my hand for leverage, because you are going to need to push alright?"

Deanna nodded and tried to steady her breath.

 _Oh I can't bear to watch, Little One, I am just so worried for you._ Lwaxana stood over in a nearby corner hugging herself tightly. _I thought this ship was equipped with state of the art technology, and instead they've got you doing all the work. How utterly barbaric, Deanna, I thought this woman was your best friend...and she's getting ready to torture you..._

 _Mother, this is how I have chosen to have my child. If I can't have Will here, at least let me control this part of it. "_ Mother," she continued aloud. "It's going to be alright, now you can see that Beverly is taking good care of me." She blew her sweaty bangs out of her eyes and looked up at her friend who was still smiling calmly down at her. "I'm ready now," she said.

Beverly leaned down and kissed Deanna on her forehead, then turned her head to watch a monitor next to the bed. "Now 1, 2, 3... _push..."_

* * *

 _ **The Eureka**_

As the first two security teams materialized at the designated juncture, Yar showed Picard her tricorder map of the area. "These two corridors branch off and then reconnect sir, after which there is another long hallway that looks like a detention cell. The readings show a humanoid in there," she said in a hushed voice.

"Could be Riker or it could be a trap," Picard said.

"Yes sir. I recommend that we split up and see how much resistance we encounter before we reach the detention cell. If Riker's in there, someone is going to let us know, by trying to stop us. If it's quiet we can readjust our plan, sir and assume a trap."

"Agreed," said Picard.

"I will kill as many as I see," growled Krala.

"As will I," agreed Worf.

"This isn't a war, it's a rescue mission," Yar snapped. "Now let's move," she said beckoning Ensign Ashley Howell and Lieutenant Chen, a more seasoned officer to follow her.

Picard nodded to Worf and Krala. "You two come with me. And remember... don't shoot Riker."

* * *

 **The Eureka Engine Room**

Isaac Chandra motioned towards the technician they'd brought along. The thrum of the Eureka' s propulsion systems was so loud that he thought it counterproductive to shout over the noise. The whole point was to disable the engines and leave the Eureka dead in the water so to speak, so that if all else failed, Riker's captors would not escape the Enterprise. The tech moved quickly. Finding a control panel, he dropped to his knees and began to work, while Chandra and the other officer stood guard.

Then to the officers' surprise, a tall man stepped out of the shadows from behind a pylon. "Sir!" Chandra shouted, immediately recognizing Riker from Yar's thorough briefing. Of course neither Chandra or the other two men on his team had ever served with Riker, but he was something of a celebrity on board the Enterprise just by virtue of his disappearing and requiring rescue.

The man smiled, and the corners of his eyes wrinkled in a way that made it a genuine, friendly smile. "Hi," said Will Riker. "Boy, have I been waiting to see you guys..." He looked past them and then scratched the back of his neck and as though suddenly disappointed. "Where's Picard?"

* * *

 **Meanwhile on the bridge of the Eureka...**

"The intruders are in," Samla said with a sideways glance at Marco. "And they've sent a third group into the engine room. Just like Caine said they would..."

"Good! Beam the two targeted life forms from Picard's quarters into the holding area immediately."

Samla frowned. "Now the sensors are showing three life forms, Marco..."

"I don't care...beam all three over, damn it."

"Aye sir."

* * *

 **The Enterprise**

"Commander Data," T'Sara said turning from a science station with as much alarm as a Vulcan was willing to exhibit. "Sensors show a power surge in the captain's quarters. It is likely a transport beam from the enemy ship-"

"Shields up," Data commanded.

"Too late, sir," said the officer manning tactical. "I'm sorry sir, I must have missed-"

"Lieutenant, please step down from your post," Data said firmly to the embarrassed young man. "You are relieved of duty."

* * *

 **A few Moments Later...**

Wesley felt around on his hands and knees in the darkness. The unexpected transport off of the Enterprise left him shaking and nauseated. But more than anything he was angry. "Seth!" He whispered. "Seth, are you okay?"

"I think I'm gonna throw up," came the weak reply. "And the back of my neck hurts again."

"Its going to be okay," Wesley tried to reassure him. There was a whimper behind him in the darkness and Wesley knew Marca had been kidnapped with them. The thought of it gave him some kind of hope. "Come here, Marca," he said. "It's going to be alright. We'll get out of here..." He felt the dog lean into him, just as a ray of light pierced the darkness at floor level a few feet in front of where they were crouched. Marca let out a low threatening growl beside him, and he felt the hairs stand up on the back of his own neck.

A door swung open with a loud clang and a tall man with shoulder length brown hair stood looking down at them. "Seth...it's been a long time, son. But we're finally back together." The man's bright green eyes began to eerily glow as he crouched down in front of them.

Marca began to bark at the stranger, and her teeth flashed in the dim light.

"Stay away from him," Wesley said, standing up to try and get an advantage over the man. He reached down to take Seth's hand.

"Mind your own business, kid," said Marco, flashing his gold tooth in a not so friendly grin.

"He's my brother...so he _is_ my business," Wes said.

"Okay, tough guy...well, Seth...you're my son," said Marco. "Don't you miss your dear old dad?" He said reaching out to grab the boy's wrist. That was when Marca leapt onto Marco knocking him to the floor, and biting into his arm. He screamed as Wesley lifted Seth up and they ran out the door. Marca chased after them down the hall.

* * *

"Is Picard with you?" Riker asked Chandra hopefully. "I was really hoping to see him you know."

Chandra nodded. "Yes sir. And don't worry, we're going to get you out of here. Our tech is just going to put these engines out of commission and then I'll contact the Captain and we can get out of here."

Riker laughed. "You brought a tech, huh? Nice idea!" He held out his hand for Chandra and his colleague to shake. "I'm Will by the way...And you are?"

"Isaac," said Chandra, shaking Riker's hand firmly. It was then that he noticed that Riker's eyes, which had been light blue, were now a bright green hue. And Riker didn't let go of his hand either, he just kept shaking it. And then Isaac Chandra felt all of his worries just slip away. He'd made a new friend in Riker. Isaac glanced around looking for the tech, and laughed with delight when he spotted him. The technician looked so intent on sabotaging the engines that he hadn't stopped to enjoy life.

"I'm Mark," said the ensign with him, who stuck out his hand, which Riker clasped firmly. Soon Mark's eyes had turned the same delightful green color and he appeared much happier to be there. _No more stressful mission,_ thought Chandra. _Now we can just have a good time, hanging out with Riker. What a cool guy._

Isaac walked over to the tech, who was still working away. "What are you doing?" Chandra put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Almost done sir," said the tech with intense concentration.

"Hey," said Chandra, "give it a rest, will you?"

Riker sauntered over. "What's he doing? Trying to set a n explosive charge or something?"

Isaac laughed. "Naaw...he's trying to disable the propulsion systems on this ship. Which at this point just seems silly."

The tech stared up at Chandra like he was crazy. "Sir, if you'd just let me work here..."

Isaac grabbed the man's wrist gently, and stared into his eyes until he seemed to understand, like Chandra had come to realize recently, that there were more fun and exciting things to do than to shut down some engines. Besides, as it turned out, Riker was having such a good time, he didn't _even want_ to be rescued.

"Hey," said Riker, waving them over excitedly. "Let's go find Picard!"

* * *

Thanks for reading...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

When Caine spotted the human and the two angry Klingons, he gestured for his three associates to fall back. Although the man was wearing all black, Caine could smell a Starfleet type a parsec away. _Picard._ But he noticed something else, too. Picard had the expression of someone who believed he could not fail, or maybe the possibility just never occurred to him. Caine knew that feeling well, for he was the same way.

"That's Picard. Cover me," he said and ducked behind a pillar. As Picard and his party approached, Caine spun out of his hiding place firing two pistols at once at the intruders. Picard dove for cover and came up firing, while the female Klingon swiftly threw a circular disc which sliced through the torso of one of Caine's men, dropping him dead on the spot.

Not even hesitating, the male Klingon charged right for Caine, twirling his curved sword over his head. Caine fired quickly and accurately hitting the Klingon twice, but the armor he was wearing was good quality and he stayed on his feet. As the Klingon approached, Caine holstered his pistols and pulled a long knife out of his boot, bringing it up to meet the Klingon's blade.

* * *

As Worf and a short stocky man struggled, Picard and Krala advanced on Caine's two remaining men. Picard suddenly stopped short, because behind the two enemies was Riker, and Ensign Chandra' s team. His initial reaction was joy, because he believed that Chandra's team had freed Riker. In the next moment, he knew something was very wrong.

"Wait!" Riker shouted out. "Stop firing...Picard is that you?"

Picard kept his weapon trained on Worf's attacker, but his eyes shifted to his friend. "Yes, it's me."

The two mercenaries working for Caine stopped firing at that moment, and Krala took the opportunity to shoot them where they stood. Without lowering her disruptor, she turned to look down at Picard. "Where are the rest?" She demanded, clearly having hoped for more resistance than that. Picard shrugged and they both looked back and saw that Worf was standing alone. When he turned his attention back to where the stocky one-eyed man had been grappling with Worf, but now saw the man was gone.

"He escaped that way," Worf growled, pointing down a side corridor. "He was too slippery."

"Husband, you are too slow," Krala howled with laughter. Worf growled but had no other response.

"That was Caine," Picard said staring down the hallway, and remembering Yar's warning. "I'm sure of it."

Riker was now rushing to him. "Picard!"

Before he could step away, Riker had gripped him by the arms. Picard tried to step back. "Are you alright?" Riker looked almost too happy to see him. Picard looked around at Chandra and the other officers, all of whom looked just as unnaturally elated as Riker.

"Things aren't so bad here, Jean-Luc," Riker said. "You'll see..."

 _Mind control...or something else._ Suddenly he realized. "Riker...You don't seem to know it, but you're _infected._ "

Riker shook his head and laughed. "Marco's got something to show us, even you Picard. There's room on this ship for everyone. You will never believe where we're going."

"Where?" Picard asked cautiously.

"To find eternity...Marco knows where it is. So does this weird little Ferengi named Val. Hell, even some Remans are searching for it..."

"Remans...Riker what is Marco trying to accomplish, and where is this so-called eternity?"

Riker broke into a characteristic grin and pointed out of a viewport. "Out there...you know...far away."

Riker, you are not well. And I'm going to cure you." He returned Riker's grip and a white light emanated from his fingertips, seeping into Riker's arms where Picard was grasping him tightly. Riker shivered once and then fell to the floor, curled into a ball.

"Don't touch them!" Picard warned Worf and Krala, pointing at Chandra and his two colleagues.

"Do not worry," Krala growled.

"They're all infected. Just like he was," he murmured staring down at Will. He looked up when he heard the screams. _Marco. Marco has my sons._

* * *

Yar edged her way along the wall with Howell and Chen creeping quietly behind her. Everything had grown eerily quiet. She knew that as Picard passed through the east juncture, to try and head off Marco, Caine would descend upon him. Caine would have studied Picard as much as possible in anticipation of this. He delighted in killing, and even if Caine and Marco escaped with whatever it was they were seeking, Caine would be unsatisfied unless he killed Picard. But Yar told herself that she wouldn't allow that to happen. As she reached the corner she shrunk against the wall, leaning just to see beyond the corner, and her eyes fell upon the only person she had truly ever considered to be her enemy.

* * *

Picard moved quickly toward the sound of Wesley shouting Seth's name. _Marco wanted Seth all along, and I could have used my power to determine his motives and prevent Seth's capture. Now they are both at risk._ He could feel that his chest was now aglow, but he didn't care. If the infected crew members remembered anything after all of this, he would simply wipe their memories. Right now, he couldn't afford to wait, but the Klingons moved into his path.

"Where are you going?" Worf demanded. "We will accompany you..."

Picard lowered his head down. "No," he said trying to step around them. He didn't care in the least anymore if his power was exposed. And if the Klingons did not move, he would throw them out of the way if he had to.

Krala put a hand on the hilt of a knife fastened at her hip. "What is this trickery...humans do not glow!" She snarled at Worf.

Worf put his arm out to block her from getting to Picard. "Have you forgotten...he is a strange and unique human? Let him go to his children, Krala." She growled but stepped aside finally.

"Watch them," said Picard pointing over his shoulder at the three oblivious officers who had arrived with Riker. "Don't let them leave, and don't let them re-contaminate Riker," he yelled as he rushed away.

Isaac Chandra moved toward Riker to help him up, but Worf stood in his way. "Don't touch him you fool, you have all been infected by some kind of virus."

"Actually I feel pretty good, buddy."

"I am _not_ anyone's buddy," said Worf. "Definitely not yours."

"It feels awesome. You don't know what you're missing," Chandra said, reaching out for Worf, but instead, Worf grabbed Chandra in a headlock, and the young man quickly passed out. Worf dropped the young ensign to the deck, unconscious, and then looked up at Chandra's two confused colleagues as he straightened to his full height. "Who will be next?"

* * *

"Where's Marca?" Seth shouted. "She was behind us..."

"We can't go back, Seth. That guy is after you..."

"I can't leave her Wes. I left her once already back on the colony and she would have died, if it hadn't been for Jean-Luc. We have to go back." He tugged his arm away from Wesley. "Please?"

Wesley gritted his teeth. "Okay, let's go." They re-traced their steps, and sure enough, around the bend they spotted the dog. But she was lying on the deck, apparently unconscious.

"Marca," Seth shouted, but Wesley grabbed the boy around his waist, as someone stepped out of the shadows.

"It seems when she bit me, it backfired on her. For some reason when I touch most people… or they touch me, I have an unusual influence over them. Doesn't work on everyone…Caine for instance…haven't figured that out, yet. For most humanoids, it makes them...so happy to be here. For dogs, apparently it puts them to sleep." Marco crouched down and patted the dog on her shoulder as she lay very still.

"What did you do to her?" Wesley shouted. "Leave her alone!"

Slowly Marco stood up. "She'll live. And so will you, if you hand over my son right now…tough guy." Marco looked curiously at his wrist which the dog had bitten. It was now perfectly healed as far as Wesley could tell. "Of course, I'm perfectly fine now."

"I'm not your son," said Seth. "My mother hated you!"

Marco smiled. "She had reason to," he admitted. "And maybe you do too…but unfortunately for you, it doesn't change biology, Seth."

"Jean-Luc and Beverly are my parents now. They're the ones who love me."

Marco's smile persisted. "Oh really?" he said, not sounding as though he cared very much. "And you have a big brother too I see…very protective…very admirable."

"Leave us alone," Wesley said, trying to keep his voice strong. "Just tell my father what you want, and he may be willing to help you."

"No I don't think so," said Marco slowly. "Besides...Picard isn't going to get off of my ship alive." Marco's gaze was unwavering, and Wesley was so focused on their charismatic enemy, that he didn't hear the sneaking footsteps behind him, didn't realize anything was wrong until he felt the blade of cold steel against his throat.

"Let him go, kid," Caine breathed into his ear, keeping expertly balanced pressure on the knife. "Or don't. Either way, I might have my fun…."

From the other end of the corridor Marco gestured to Seth. "Come here Seth, or your big brother dies. It's very simple."

Seth turned his head up to look at Wesley. "Let me go, Wes," he said calmly. "I promise I'll be back."

"No." Wesley, despite his fear, held Seth tighter. He closed his eyes, but felt Seth reach up and pull himself free. "Seth!" he opened his eyes and watched as Seth broke free and was already walking toward Marco. Halfway there, he stopped and turned back to face Caine. His expression was that of an adult, not a child. "Now you have to let Wes go. That was the deal."

Caine laughed, and encircled his forearm around Wesley's neck, slipping the knife into his other hand. "I don't make deals with anyone, especially not little brats...and Marco only cares about one thing."

Seth turned as Marco grabbed his arm tightly. He struggled for a moment and then quieted down, realizing he needed to conserve his strength if he wanted to fulfill his promise to Wesley and return. And he also realized that Marco's influence which had been used to knock the dog out had no effect on him for some reason.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Acting almost without thinking, Wesley stomped on Caine's foot, but Caine twisted the boy up and off his feet with frightening strength. Somehow Wesley caught one of his feet on the wall and pushed off, sending Caine off balance and to the floor. Still holding Wesley around the neck he rolled over and pinned him down.

Caine laughed, and pulled out the knife again, putting it under Wesley's chin. Wes was beginning to see grey around the edges of his vision and the solid weight of Caine's body crushing down on him made him struggle to breathe.

He kicked upward between his assailant' s legs, but Caine rolled quickly to the side and punched Wesley in the face sending his head into the unforgiving deck. "Almost too easy," Caine sneered, rising up with the knife in both hands. Wesley began to twist and writhe beneath Caine again, when Caine suddenly went careening off of him. A swift boot kicked the knife out of Caine's hand, sending it clattering to the floor.

Wesley rolled over and crawled over to the wall. Once there, clawing his chest for breath, he saw what had happened. _She just saved my life. But Marco's got Seth._ Lieutenant Yar stood several feet away from Wesley, her phaser trained on Caine.

Caine got up quickly and took a few steps back. "Nice idea trying to mess with our engines, Natasha," he said. "Just like I taught you...take your opponent's legs out first. Too bad I know how you think, and that's the reason your plan fell flat."

"Not really," Yar said, as she circled away from him cautiously. "We have Riker, and we're keeping him."

"Wake up, Natasha," Caine laughed. "Riker was nothing but bait. Now Marco has what he wants, and we'll be on our way."

"You're not going anywhere," Yar said calmly.

"Be honest, Yar, you don't give a shit about Riker or anyone else. You only want to win...just like me."

"I'm not like you Caine...I never was," she said. "But I can still kill you."

"Really? I thought Starfleet didn't hire professional killers, Tash...well, I guess they haven't met the real you yet."

* * *

Wesley turned his woozy, bleeding head at the sound of footsteps. Just then his father came sprinting from an adjacent hallway toward him.

"Dad!" Wesley shouted. "Dad, he's up ahead and he's got Seth! I'm alright...hurry, he's going to hurt him..."

Jean Luc slowed and turned. "Wesley?" He could see Wesley was injured...and nearby were Yar and Caine, completely focused on each other. Yar's two officers stood nearby, seemingly frozen with uncertainty. Caine, unlike the rest of Marco's people, including Riker, seemed untouched by whatever virus had run rampant on this ship. Caine, it seemed, was his own man. And now that he knew Caine had touched his son, Picard would not let him escape.

Caine feinted toward Wesley as though he intended to attack him again, and Yar moved in his path. She gestured back toward Wesley without taking her eyes off of Caine's. "Chen...Howell...Wesley's injured. Take him with you and meet up with Riker and the others. Wait for me and the Captain..."

"But Lieutenant, what about-"

"What about following orders, Howell?" Yar snapped back. "I can handle this."

"I don't think you can," Caine warned her. "Maybe you should let them stay, you know...for back up." Yar launched a punch at Caine's throat, which he blocked as he moved to the side. Every movement reminded her that she had done a very poor job repairing her wound, and she knew that her usual quickness would be beyond her, as long as she was injured.

Chen and Howell took the opportunity to rush in and grab Wesley around the shoulders, helping him to safety, but his eyes were fixed on Yar. He was reluctant to leave, even though he would be of little help to her. He had never seen two people fight so swiftly or smoothly. They both seemed to anticipate each other's moves perfectly. It made him recall immediately the fight between Yar and his father on the Borg planet. But why was she deciding to fight this guy on her own, and how did she know him in the first place? His original suspicions were quickly being replaced with fascination. He began to wonder for the first time if Yar was the same person at all that she had been when she had done such horrible things.

* * *

Picard took another step toward Wesley, but saw that Yar's security people were gathering him up and helping him to his feet, moving him away from Caine. He felt sure that Wesley was going to be alright just like he'd said. But something still made him hesitate.

The power's light began to shine again, as he contemplated sending the whole away team back to the ship along with Seth. But now Seth was out of sight again because he had hesitated. As much as he was capable of doing with this power, he was out of practice to use it. He really no longer was a Q. _Wesley is safe,_ the power advised him. _Therefore you are free to rescue Seth._ _You must not expose your power to those who need not see it, Jean-Luc. The results may be dangerous._

Heeding this guidance he resumed his chase of Marco. Around the bend he skidded to a halt. Marca! She must have beamed over with Wesley and Seth. He knelt down beside her, and touched her side. Her breathing was slow but she was alive. _She has been infected, Jean-Luc. Like the others on this ship. Concentrate...Good she is now cured,_ said the power.

He remembered his ferocious first encounter with the dog down on the Marca colony, and how she had now become an integral part of his family—even perhaps more so than him. He waved a hand over her muzzle and she disappeared, sending her back to the _Enterprise_ before he moved on.

* * *

"Now we're all alone, as you wanted, Yar" Caine said, still circling. "Have something important to tell me, _Lieutenant_? Or you just want to fight? You can take the girl from Turkana, but you can't ever erase Turkana from the young woman, is that it?"

They exchanged a series of punches, most of which missed, because they were able to evade each other. Then Yar threw an elbow toward Caine's temple and then peppered him with a series of punches to his torso, jumping away as he leaned in the opposite direction and aimed a kick at her. Spinning back she countered with a kick that landed directly in the small of his back. He was pushed forward into the wall, but caught himself with his hands, ducked down and threw a roundhouse punch into her lower right side. She cried out, as he had struck her directly in the knife wound. She staggered away for a moment before resuming a defensive fighting stance, trying to control her breathing. She was accustomed to sparring, but it had been a while since she had had to fight for her life. And Caine was very strong, almost inhumanly so.

Caine raised his bloody right fist. "You know I can read you. Saw you favoring your left hand, and looks like I found a weakness, Lieutenant…." He grinned. Very interesting," he said advancing toward her slowly. "So it's not just me; even your colleagues are trying to kill you, Natasha. Makes you wonder…is it _us_ …or _you_?"

She took a stutter step forward and and brought the heel of her boot down on the side of his knee, hearing a satisfying crunch. He wobbled and then moved to brace himself against the wall. Yar pursued, kneeing him in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. Instead of falling down, which is what a normal person would have done, Caine launched a nasty uppercut with his elbow, sending Yar reeling backward into the opposite wall, striking it with her right side. Again his strength seemed enhanced somehow, and she struggled to remain conscious. Caine ran and slid toward her on his knees, punching her several times in her injured side, until he had knocked her down. She wheezed and clutched at her back, spitting blood out onto the deck. Resting her forehead on the floor, she blinked several times, wishing that she had the strength to win—not just survive.

He put a heavy hand on the back of her neck. "Don't feel so bad 'Tash…you're not at your best. In fact you're bleeding all over our beautiful ship. Now, while I decide whether to let you live or not, why don't you tell me about your new boss Picard? Come on, how about some useful information, Yar?"

"Not telling you anything," she mumbled, uselessly reaching up to grab his wrist. If she could get leverage, she might be able to break it. Instead of growing tired, he seemed stronger, and it wasn't just that she was wounded. He grabbed her hand and shoved it away, letting go of her neck. He sat down cross-legged next to her and leaned down to look at her.

"You noticed that I lost an eye since we last saw each other. You know who did that? Marco's ex…the mother of his little prize, Seth. I can't get revenge on her, because I heard she was finished by the Borg. But as long as I have access to her progeny, I can make him pay. Let Marco get what he wants first, and then all bets are off."

"So you lost an eye," she spat. "Buy yourself another one and leave the kid alone."

Caine laughed. "Leave the kid alone? You've been out of the game too long, 'Tash. What happened to that killer spirit? I can help you gain it back…I'll let you live, and you can stay here with us." He leaned in and whispered. "And when the time is right, we'll take out Marco too, just like the old days. But you have to cooperate…" He leaned his elbow on her neck in a way she knew he would be able to break it with one quick movement. She closed her eyes again and steadied her breathing.

"Now... tell me how Picard figured out how to glow like a star like he did just now? You know don't you? There's a rumor going around the quadrant that he was captured by aliens."

"I don't know anything," she choked. "And if I did, I'd never tell you."

"I still remember that day when we experienced that light together." He stood up, and pushed her in the side with his boot, causing her to cry out. "In fact I'll never forget it. Now tell me about Picard, or I swear I will hunt him down until I find out for myself."

Yar rolled over with some effort to look up at him defiantly. She knew she had bought the Captain some time away from Caine, which is all she could ask for at this point. "Go to hell…."

* * *

The next time Picard saw Marco ahead of him, Seth wasn't with him. And he could tell that something was blocking his senses. _Where is Seth? He's leading me away from him._ He was overwhelmed with anger, which only increased when he saw that Marco was now headed back in the direction where he had last seen Wesley. He closed his eyes and disappeared in a flash, reappearing in front of Marco. Marco's eyes widened as Picard picked him up by his collar. "Where have you taken him?"

Marco's eyes turned an eerie green and he wrapped his fingers around Picard's wrist. "You'll never find him." He looked down in mild surprise as he realized his influence had no effect on Picard.

Picard tossed Marco against the bulkhead. "Where is my son?" he demanded again.

Marco's smile seemed to fold inward and to Jean-Luc's shock the man disappeared into the wall. Furious, Jean-Luc punched through the wall trying to grab for him. The power attempted to steady him. _Control your anger, Jean-Luc, or you will not find Seth as you hope. Marco is inhabited by a very powerful collection of creatures, but he does not know this. He believes all of his power is his own._

 _I don't care…I just want to find Seth. Why aren't you helping me?_

 _I cannot help you when you are consumed by rage, Jean-Luc. Quick, he has gone to find Wesley again to divert you from Seth. If you concentrate properly you can stop him._

* * *

Picard teleported himself into the general area where he believed Marco had last been, and saw the man turn to regard him with a quick grin before disappearing around another bend. Picard simply jumped through the wall this time to follow, and found himself back in the corridor where he had last seen Yar.

Marco was not there, but Caine was crouched down next to Yar who lay face up and unconscious in a pool of blood. _She is still alive, Jean-Luc. But she does not believe her own life is worth saving._ Caine was oddly fingering a necklace around her neck, but looked up when Picard appeared. Caine smiled in a way that made Picard believe he was actually pleased to see him.

"Get away from her," Picard warned, but didn't stop to converse. Instead, he advanced on Caine, picked him up and threw him against the wall, denting its material, and the man slid to the floor immediately unconscious. Picard lifted Yar up over his shoulder and then closing his eyes teleported again, hoping this time would bring him to Marco.

* * *

When he reappeared, he saw the two Klingons, a wobbly Riker, Wesley and the five other away team members. Worf and Krala had succeeded in keeping his son safe, but the only emotion he continued to feel was pure rage.

He saw Marco approach Wesley then, and Jean-Luc knew it was all a ruse, which he had fallen for. Seth was being kept somewhere out of reach and Marco would do whatever was necessary to maintain the status quo.

Picard put on an inhuman burst of speed and placed Yar down with the others, before throwing a dome-shaped force field over them all. Marco jumped out of reach, but the next time, Picard caught him by the shoulders. "One more chance to tell me where my son is," he whispered. Marco merely laughed, and Picard lifted him high over his head and threw him across the cargo bay.

Marco rolled into the wall, and then slowly got to his feet. Barely conscious of what he had just done, and that he had an audience, Picard turned back to the group and clapped his hands sending them all back to the _Enterprise_. The he spun back to advance on Marco.

"Tell me, Marco. What are you doing? Why do you need Seth so badly?"

"He carries something so special," said Marco, "that nothing you do to me will make me tell you what you want."

"Fine," said Jean-Luc. "After you're dead, I will find him myself," he said. Holding out his arms, he sucked Marco back toward him, and then threw him through the hull of the _Eureka_ , out into the vacuum of space. Shaping himself into a bullet of energy he blew out of the ship to find Marco. Marco's body already floated lifelessly, but then was instantly replaced by millions of tiny green lights which scattered, then reformed into an iridescent green bubble. Before Picard could reason what he was seeing into some kind of effective action, the bubble re-entered the ship, the shields were raised, and the ship sped away in a burst of light.

* * *

They were suddenly all in sick bay. Will Riker looked around him. The Klingon couple, Wesley…some infected crew members…and a really beat up Yar. Where Picard was, he had no idea. Riker had a headache, similar to the hangover he had awoken with just after being kidnapped. He had Picard to thank this time, as he had somehow miraculously cured him of whatever Marco had used to control his mind.

However, Will found that he missed Marco already, sort of like craving a drink of alcohol. And so Will figured, maybe whatever Picard had done, hadn't been quite enough. Dimly he wondered if becoming re-infected would cure his headache and if it was worth it to try all over again, when he saw a familiar figure approaching through sick bay.

"Will!" Beverly Crusher strode toward him on her long legs, making him smile. But she was all business. She waved her medical team over, when Worf held up his large hand.

"Wait, Doctor. I recommend we all be quarantined. There is an epidemic on board Marco's ship which has infected at least those individuals there," he said pointing to Chandra and his two compatriots, who still looked out of it. "The disease passes through touch, it seems."

"The transporter should have been used to filter out—"

"We weren't transported, Mom," Wesley said. "Captain Picard sent us here."

He glanced around him. "Everyone saw what happened…."

Beverly hit a button on the wall. "Attention sick bay staff, emergency quarantine protocols are now in effect. I want all non-emergency patients removed to a minor sick bay immediately." She caught sight of Yar, who was being supported by her security team, and was covered in blood. She grabbed a passing Felix Gardner by the arm. "Get her to critical care immediately."

Riker stretched his limbs, happy they were once again under his own control. "I'm good, Doctor. Just a little headache. In fact, I think Picard cured me. Didn't know he still had it in him."

Riker felt his rescuers glaring at him, and returned their stares accordingly. Apparently Picard hadn't informed the whole crew that he was still a Q…or some semblance of one. "So to speak," he added, looking down at Beverly.

Beverly clasped her hands in front of her, nodding to Alyssa Ogawa. "Alyssa get Commander Riker into quarantine as well and then once he's been cleared, bring him to see Deanna."

She tried to give him a positive smile, but she was beginning to feel the world closing in around her. _Where is Jean-Luc?_ She knew she did not yet have the courage to ask the question out loud.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Just Moments Earlier...**

"Commander, the enemy ship is showing a hull breach," said the tactical officer. He paused. "Their shields have raised and they are now exiting the system at full impulse," he reported excitedly.

"Match their speed and pursue them," Data ordered.

"Sick bay is reporting the away team is back, sir," said ops.

"Acknowledged," said Data.

"Commander...sensors show no internal or external transporter activity since the initial away team departure," T'Sara said, turning from her post at science station one. "No shuttles were deployed to retrieve the away team, either, sir. If the away team has returned, it is through unknown means."

Data stood up and walked toward the helm. "Belay my previous order, and return to our last coordinates. Halt our pursuit until we have accounted for all of our people, and then we will reassess. Commander T'Sara, you have the bridge. I will be in main sick bay."

* * *

 **Somewhere in a nearby sector**

He sat cross-legged staring straight in front of him. But it just wasn't like it used to be. He couldn't concentrate, couldn't get the immense sense of failure off of his mind. What should he do? He was conflicted of course...and this was a problem, because he was trying to concentrate. If he concentrated carefully enough, he could teleport himself to where Marco's ship was traveling and rescue Seth. Or, he could locate Seth and teleport the boy back to the Enterprise with just a thought. When he was a Q he could have done this. So what had happened?

"The power is putting limits on you, Picard," Q said, appearing before him. Q was surrounded by a fiery orange glow, but this was only to be expected as they were in the center of a star.

Picard shut his eyes. "Don't try and break my concentration, Q."

"Or what? You'll incinerate into millions of tiny bits?"

"That is quite possible, yes."

"Jean-Luc, you do realize that while you are sitting here in the center of this star _vacillating_ , decisions are already being made for you? Meanwhile the _special_ relationship you claimed to have with the power just a few hours ago, seems to have taken some damage."

He opened his eyes again. "It will endure. The power will help me recover Seth from Marco, and then everything will be fine."

Q crouched down in front of him. Flames licked around his face as he spoke. "You're trying much too hard now, Picard...but the problem is you're conflicted. In one moment you try too hard to be human, and in the next, you are _desperate_ to be a Q again."

"Leave me alone," Picard said. "I'm close to figuring this out."

Q got up swiftly and paced away, not bothered by the liquid fire. He spun back around to point at Picard. "You do nothing but reject me, Picard! If I had feelings, I should say they would be wounded by now. But eventually even you will come to see that this dual nature you have precariously maintained is not sustainable. You will have to choose between a life of humanity and a life of...this." He made a sweeping gesture with his arm.

Picard shrugged, which only seemed to infuriate Q. "You know something, Picard? The power is close to abandoning you. We the Q...the _real_ Q can sense it. You acted selfishly back on that ship."

"I was trying to protect my son."

"But it didn't work did it? Yes, you were protecting your son. But even more so, I think you were reveling in the chance to finally use the power for something more than to clean your bathroom."

Picard opened one eye, just as a drop of molten orange fell before his face. "It was my bedroom," he said.

Q waved down at him dismissively. "My point is that you frightened the power. It questions now whether you would use it just as foolishly in the future, to harm others."

Picard stood up and gripped Q by the shoulders and shouted, "You call yourself my friend, but you don't care one bit about me, do you?"

"You know that's not true Picard...now be careful not to lose your concentration, or you may burst into a ball of fire before I can save you."

Jean-Luc loosened his grasp. "Why can't I concentrate enough to simply find Seth and immediately bring him back?"

"I told you already. The power is attempting to restrain you. It is protecting you inside this star, of course, but it isn't sure it wants to help you find Seth."

"Why?"

"You're too emotional, Picard. And I agree with the power. There are rules, you know, to wielding omnipotence. When you were a Q you had to abide by those rules. But now...well, as you know we are still very grateful for all you did to rid the universe of Yar-"

"And to save the Q!"

"Yes, yes, we are especially grateful for that. But the Q are watching you now with guarded suspicion. How long before you twist the power to fuel your pursuit of personal revenge? How long before you become like Yar was?"

* * *

 _ **Enterprise**_

 _"_ _Commander Data, I am sure that I have your assurance that what we are about to discuss, will not leave this room."_

"Yes, you have my assurance, Admiral," Data said, sitting down across from Admiral Nechayev's thoroughly annoyed image on the computer console.

"Good. Now, exactly how long have you known that your commanding officer was still moonlighting as a Q?" she demanded.

"Moonlighting?"

"Mr. Data, if you are ever going to become a captain you had better learn some goddamn vernacular. I don't like having to explain my words twice."

"Yes, sir. To answer your question, Admiral, I was not aware that Captain Picard was still part of the Q continuum. Certainly at times, Captain Picard has engaged in odd behavior. However, I was without substantial evidence to support that he was anything but human."

"According to this unofficial report made by one security Ensign Isaac Chandra, and I quote: 'after curing Commander Riker of the alien virus, by touching him, the captain encapsulated the entire away team in a force field, and threw Marco approximately 100 meters across the cargo bay. He also exhibited super human speed and strength and a bright white aura surrounded his body at times.' Now, Commander I would say that is substantial evidence, wouldn't you?"

Data raised an eyebrow and nodded. He was unaware of this report, or that Chandra had taken it upon himself to contact Command without permission. "It is curious," he admitted.

"Curious?! Data, _where_ is Captain Picard?"

"We do not know, Admiral."

"But he's been missing for approximately three hours since the return of the rest of the away team, correct, Data?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Then he is derelict in his duty. Listen to me, Mr. Data. I do not appreciate being lied to."

"I am incapable of lying, Admiral-"

"Not _you_ , Mr. Data! A few months ago, prior to asking him to take command of this ship, I asked Jean-Luc Picard whether he was still a Q. And he unequivocally told me 'no'. That is what we in human circles call a lie, Mr. Data, if I am now to believe the words of young Mr. Chandra. Of course I was aware of Picard's scheme to bring back Yar, and for that I will certainly take responsibility, should anything go...wrong. But I was apparently led astray that he was done with omnipotence after making Yar human again. Now there are those here who would like to have my post because of this, not to mention have _him_ booted from the Fleet. Now if he doesn't reappear in seven hours, you are officially Captain of the _Enterprise_. Understood?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"And when Picard does show up, he is to call me immediately to discuss the details of his probable court martial."

* * *

Still processing the traumatic events of the day, Wesley jerked forward in his seat on the bio bed as he felt a hand rest on his back. His mother encircled her arm around his waist, and smiled gratefully at the nurse who had been attending to his head injuries. "Molly could you please give us a few minutes?" She said.

The nurse gave her an understanding smile in return. "Of course, doctor. I was just finishing up with Mr. Crusher," she said as she stepped out of the recovery room.

Beverly continued to hold onto him, as they both stared forward at the wall. After a few moments, she asked, "How do you feel now?"

"Okay I guess", he said, gingerly feeling under his jaw where the knife had been, and the side of his head where Caine had struck him.

"Who hurt you, Wesley? The same ones who took Seth? I went to our quarters. He's gone," she said so shocked still that the sadness and anger were only just beginning to creep in.

Wes looked down at his legs which he had been twitching with agitation as they dangled off the bio bed. "Marco is the leader. He's the one who controls everyone's mind on that ship…including Commander Riker's. Marco claims to be Seth's biological father."

She brought her hand to cover her mouth. "What?"

"Mom, this whole thing...kidnapping the Commander...bringing us out here...everything was about Marco finding Seth."

"But why?"

"I can't say for sure."

"Marco, is he the one that did this to you?" she tightened her arm around his waist.

Wesley shook his head. "No. Caine...he's Marco's right hand man. He's like a mercenary or something. He's the one that did this to me, and forced me and Seth to split up. I tried to hold on to him Mom," he took a deep breath as it all came out in a rush.

"I know you did, Wesley."

He stared down at the floor sadly. "They even captured Marca too..."

Beverly squeezed his shoulders. "She's back in our quarters now, Wesley. She's alright," she reassured him.

Wesley turned his head sharply to look at her. "Oh. Then the captain must have gotten to her...cured her just like he did with Commander Riker, and then sent her back here." _So where is he?_ He returned his gaze to the far wall, still turning what had happened over and over in his head.

Presently Beverly said, "Wesley...I don't want to push you, but I need to know what happened to you...and to your father. He's still missing."

He turned fully to look at his mother. "Mom, I'm sorry. But he sent us all back before we could see what happened to him."

She watched him closely and reflexively reached up to touch her neck. "Jean-Luc sent you back?" Her own voice sounded far away to her.

"The captain was going to kill Marco," he said slowly. "I've never seen him so angry, Mom. Because Marco wouldn't tell him where Seth was. He was just…laughing at us. And the Captain…I think he kind of lost control."

She touched his bruised face carefully with the back of her hand. "But he protected you?"

He nodded. "And then Lieutenant Yar..."

Beverly felt herself tense up, and she dropped her hand to her side. "What?"

"She saved my life, Mom. Caine was going to kill me...just for fun. But then she got him off of me and then fought him by herself."

 _And it looks as though she nearly paid with her life._ Beverly almost could not believe her ears. "And your father? Why didn't he come back with you?" It was almost easier not to have to say his name.

Wesley looked away. "I don't know."

* * *

Beverly stepped out of sick bay to get a breather. It was clear that Data had been debriefing Riker and the security officers minus Yar, for the last few minutes. The recurring point reached was that Jean-Luc and Seth were missing. The decision was made to pursue the _Eureka_ to find Seth, but the problem remained...where was the captain?

Beverly had allowed them to talk things through without her in input, when finally she walked up to the group in frustration. "But how were my sons taken from their own living quarters without anyone on this ship knowing? And where is Captain Picard? Doesn't anybody _know_?" She had finally demanded.

Everyone had quieted down and just stared at her. She couldn't bear the feeling that everyone was now regarding her as the histrionic significant other of the captain, and so she stepped out into the corridor to regain her composure.

* * *

Once out in the corridor, she looked up at the ceiling pleadingly. _Jean-Luc, just come back now and we'll find Seth together. I_ f you are in Q mode right now, I know you can hear me.

 _"How very perceptive, Doctor Crusher! When Picard first told me that he loved you for your intellectual abilities, as much as for your body, I only laughed at him. But your assessment is quite accurate."_

"Q?"

He blinked into existence in front of her eyes, and she noted that he was wearing an admiral's uniform. "Yes, it's me," he said with overbearing delight.

"Oh, you're on a roll, Doctor. Perhaps we should have looked at you first instead of Picard all those years ago. You would have brought that unique female perspective that...oh wait," he corrected himself scratching his head with mock realization. "We had that with _Yar_ didn't we? Didn't work out so well for any of us either..."

She closed her eyes tightly. "Q, just tell me where he is and if he's alright."

"Oh, he's _fine..._ in fact, he's merely sulking...but I daresay that knowing _where_ he is, doesn't help you in the least."

"I _have_ to see him," she nearly shouted out.

Q jerked backward unused to such raw emotion. "That would be difficult. He's punishing himself...Q style."

"What?"

"He's sent himself into the center of a star...to ruminate on all of his failures of today. Namely that Seth is still in the hands of this Marco character." He opened his palm and a small replica of a star spun above it. "It's located right here in this system...relatively close by. A red giant. I know, like me you're probably thinking why not something more _difficult_ such as a white dwarf?"

Beverly stared at him in confusion.

"Sometimes we Q...when we want to be alone with our thoughts...will go and stand inside the center of an active star. It's one of those activities that is somewhat challenging for the novice Q...helps hone the powers of concentration. It may come as no surprise to you to learn that the core of a star is quite an unpleasant place to be for very long. One slip in concentration and... _poof,_ " he said, and the tiny star disappeared in a burst of smoke.

Beverly waved her arm through the smoke in the air, and then stepped back, crossing her arms. "Are you telling me that he is perfectly fine? But that he has simply chosen not to come back to me?" She asked somewhat irately.

"Well...his feelings are hurt. You see, he _failed_ to use the power of the Q to his full potential, and as such, _failed_ to keep Marco from stealing Seth."

She threw her hands up in exasperation, causing Q to step back just in the off chance that she planned on hitting him. "But I'm not going to blame him for that, Q. He's not perfect."

" _Far_ from it," Q agreed.

"And I am sure he did everything he could do to stop Marco," she continued.

"Well...he threw him out into space...but there was perhaps more he _could_ have done..."

Without warning she advanced on Q, poking him in the chest with her index finger. "And just what did _you_ do? My son and Jean-Luc are still missing and you are...well I don't know what the hell you're doing, to be honest. Thank you for the information, Q, now I _hope_ you will be going."

Q looked completely insulted. "First Picard, and now you? Kicking me off your ship whenever you don't like what I have to say." He looked behind her dramatically. "Is Wesley available? Because I would really like to converse with someone who understands me!"

"Stay away from my son, Q!"

He glared at her momentarily. "Very well," he said then, and disappeared in a flash.

She closed her eyes. _Where are you, Jean-Luc?_

* * *

 ** _Hey, thanks for reading and especially for taking the time to review. It makes writing all the more fun to know people are enjoying the story. Peace...-PP_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

When Beverly re-entered sickbay, she was inexplicably welcomed by the sound of a gong. "What on Earth?" She glanced around at her staff who pointed into Deanna Troi's recovery room.

On her way there, she was intercepted by Nurse Ogawa, who informed her that all Away Team members, the two Klingons, and Wesley appeared to be free from any viruses after all. She studied the data pad carefully, before handing it back to Alyssa. Just hours ago, Riker had reported that Jean-Luc had cured him of some kind of a mind-controlling virus on board Marco's ship, but he hadn't said anything else about Yar and her security team, who Worf had explained had been infected as well. Perhaps Jean-Luc had cured them all prior to his disappearance, or perhaps they had never been infected. She paused a moment more before ignoring her gut and giving the go ahead to release the away team.

"That's fine, thank you, Alyssa, we can lift the quarantine now. But please ensure they understand they need to self report anything out of the ordinary, if symptoms should arise."

"Yes, doctor," Ogawa replied before hurrying away.

* * *

A few moments later when she walked in to Deanna's room, Mr. Homm, who stood next to the recovery bed, hit the small gong again with an even smaller mallet.

Some, if not all of her troubles were forgotten for a moment when she saw that Will Riker was happily holding the baby. He turned to offer her a radiant grin. "Thank you, Doctor. I owe you one," he said kissing the baby on the top of her head. "She's so beautiful and healthy." He reached down and took Deanna's hand, who was also smiling but tiredly so. "All we could ask for."

Beverly laughed. "I was simply doing my job, but it's certainly the best news we've had today…not to take anything away from your reappearance, Will."

"Well, even Will is going to have to learn to take a backseat to his new daughter," Deanna said with a knowing smile.

"She's right, Will," interjected Mrs. Troi, waltzing over. "You can no longer be the center of attention."

"Who me?" he asked with mock innocence.

"At least not all the time," Deanna said, squeezing his hand and looking up at him lovingly.

" _Really_ , Will this took the mantle for dramatic disappearances—and if you hadn't been out drinking-"

"Mother!"

Riker cleared his throat. "No…Lwaxana's right. I have a lot to make up for."

Beverly shook her head. "Now that's just silly. It wasn't your fault you were kidnapped and taken from us."

Will's face fell slightly, and he remembered some of the things he had done over on Marco's ship. He could feel Lwaxana's perceptive eyes peering into the side of his head, and by extension into his mind.

He closed his eyes and breathed in the baby's new scent. If Deanna had to know what he'd done…that type of news could certainly wait a bit. Strangely, he felt guilty for betraying Deanna, but no regrets for all the fun times he had engaged in on the Eureka. He would have to tell her, wouldn't he? Unless it would be better not to say a word. He couldn't believe himself, but he longed to ask Picard for advice on how to handle the delicate situation of the troubling behavior he had engaged in while under Marco's influence. Picard was certainly no stranger to having to explain away his own troubling behavior.

Unfortunately, Picard had skipped out, and judging by the look on Beverly's face, he was in for it when he returned. It crossed his mind then that Picard was looking for Marco somewhere out there, and he wished he could be with him, if only for the chance to glimpse eternity again. He knew Picard had intended to cure him and the others, but the longing to be back with Marco and his gang was still very real. Whatever this virus thing was, it wasn't so bad. Now that he was back on the Enterprise, maybe he could convince his friends that there was far more to life than roaming the galaxy, adhering to strict Starfleet principles. He gently offered the baby back to Deanna.

He looked at Beverly. "Do you think we are going to intercept the Eureka?"

Beverly studied Will's face carefully. There was something odd there, perhaps a hopeful expression that she hadn't expected to see. "You mean Marco's ship...I truly hope so. We need to find Seth before it's too late."

Riker smiled. "Before what's too late?"

She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lwaxana, whose eyes were shut tightly, her head tilted downward. Beverly returned her gaze slowly to Will who was still smiling. "Before Marco hurts my son," she said deliberately.

Riker shook his head adamantly. "Marco would never hurt his son."

Beverly just stared at him. _His son?_

Mrs. Troi's eyes shot open. "Will, why are you taking Marco's side? After all he's done!"

Beverly held up her hands, uninterested in conflict at the moment. "It's alright." She looked up at Riker and smiled faintly. "Will, I'm going to need you to check in with me in sickbay tomorrow morning. I'd like to run a few more tests."

Riker frowned but then his wide grin reappeared. "Sure. See you then, doctor."

Beverly gave them all a little wave, before backing out of the room. "If you'll excuse me, I have a patient to check in on."

Deanna blew her a kiss, as she exited, and she wished she could join in their joyfulness, but at the moment, happiness was very far from her mind. As she stepped out, Mr. Homm hit the gong once more.

* * *

Beverly hesitated, seeing the ship's counselor T'Sara entering Yar's recovery room. She frowned, thinking it likely that Data had ordered the counselor to meet with the returning members of the away team, given what they had experienced, and Yar's injuries in particular. This was simply protocol, something Data was known to follow very carefully. She watched the elegant science officer disappear into the room, before turning at the sound of her name.

"Doctor Crusher!" Beverly turned, and was flagged down by one of her staff, approaching. "Doctor, there is a priority encoded transmission for your eyes only."

"Encoded?" Perhaps attending to the message would allow T'Sara a few minutes to talk with Yar. "Thank you. Please send it through my office console."

* * *

 _I should have known._ "What is it, Walker? A lot has gone on here, you know," she said to the familiar face on the computer screen in her office.

Walker looked almost stressed as she felt. "Bev. Where's Jean-Luc? I haven't been able to reach him, and…."

"No one can reach him, Walker. And apparently that is just how he wants it," she snapped.

" _What?"_

Beverly sat down heavily. "We lost Seth…this person called Marco took him, I mean." She watched as Walker's expression took on a variety of emotions. "You know him...Jean-Luc told me."

Walker nodded tiredly. "Yes, I know Marco. Jean-Luc confronted him, I'm sure-about Seth."

"Of course he did. Wesley was there too."

"Is he back safe?"

She nodded. "He told me Jean-Luc tried to stop Marco, but couldn't." She crossed her arms, and looked down wanting very much to change the subject. "So...what's new on your end?" She didn't care if the sentiment sounded silly, in light of what they had just experienced. As much as she usually enjoyed seeing her old friend, she only wanted to speak to one person right now. And she had a lot to say to him.

Walker hunched over to stare into the screen. "Beverly, is he still capable of using his Q powers?"

"Walker…didn't you just hear me say that both Jean-Luc and Seth are missing?"

Walker rubbed his forehead tiredly. "I-I'm sorry, Bev, I just have been trying to figure this thing out for weeks, and—and I've hardly slept."

 _Welcome to the club,_ she thought tiredly. She shook her head. "As a matter of fact, yes, he still has his ...special abilities. Walker, correct me if I am wrong, but I thought you didn't want Jean-Luc to be a Q. And now it sounds like you want something from him that relates to his powers."

Walker licked his lips and fumbled with something on his desk. "I'm in a ship, headed for what I _hope_ is Marco's final destination on the far edges of Orion territory. On board with us we have one of my subordinates who has become, for lack of a better word infected by a very resilient virus. It has made him quite single-minded."

"We've seen something similar here," Beverly responded. "In fact, Jean-Luc cured the entire away team of a virus-some kind of mind control we think. It's Marco; he's infecting others and then controlling them somehow."

"He thinks he's controlling them, but he's controlled as well, Beverly. He's not the source of this thing by any means."

She nodded. "Then he's a carrier for this virus."

"This is no typical virus, Bev—"

"There is no such _thing_ as a typical virus out here, Walker. Have you forgotten I happen to have some expertise in this area?"

He smiled. "No, I haven't. Sorry, old friend."

She sighed. "As convenient it was that Jean-Luc apparently cured everyone on the away team, he left me without an active virus to study, and so I don't have much information to go on."

"I'll transmit what I have to you via subspace, Bev."

"Good, thank you. I can compare whatever you send me to the information we already have…including the biopsy I took from Seth's neck—"

"What do you mean?" he interrupted her.

She explained what had initially happened with Seth, the viral creature Mrs. Troi had communicated with and that Seth was now with Marco. "Anyway, with the information I continue to gather, I will work on an antidote for this Walker. I have as much incentive now, as I will ever have."

"Poor kid. It makes sense…whatever is or was residing in Seth's neck is the key to all of this." Walker said distantly.

"What do you mean?"

"This virus, as you may have already figured out, is a sentient race of beings. From what Intel has been able to piece together, they've had a chance to evolve since crash landing on Earth about a thousand years ago. We found the ship in the Caribbean. It was, over the years the site of several other sunken ships—of a more terrestrial origin. Whether the virus existed at the time of the crash—whether it had infected the alien pilots…we may never know," he said. "We do know that the virus survived for many years by consuming metal as nutrients."

"The virus that was in Seth's neck was living inside a tiny capsule of manganese."

He nodded, unfazed by this revelation. "One of the sunken warships years ago, dropped several tons of that very ore on the ocean floor. Could be that the virus ran out of food, so to speak, or it could be that it has collectively evolved to a point where it simply wanted off of Earth. Our concern now is that it intends to return to its home planet."

"And what would be wrong with that?" Beverly asked. "If it intends to leave us alone of course."

"Based on some of the information we've obtained from Finn...my colleague who is infected, the virus doesn't intend to do anything with us. In fact, it intends to spread a plague upon the galaxy."

Beverly sighed tiredly. "Of course it does…and so you want Jean-Luc to do _what_?"

"Well…if he has the power of the Q—"

"Walker, you can't have it both ways. Telling him he's out of control, that he's practically an alien, and then turning around and using him for those same attributes—"

"For good, Beverly. I'd use him for good."

She almost threw her tricorder at the computer screen. "He already _is_ good, Walker. I may not be happy with his behavior right now, but he has only ever tried to protect us. And I won't allow anyone, even you to use him! Have you forgotten this man is your friend?"

Walker smiled and sat back in his chair. "No, no…of course I haven't, Bev. But now might be the time to set some parameters for use of his powers. He is after all a Starfleet Captain, and having someone with that kind of ability in the captain's chair—it's unprecedented, and some might think quite dangerous."

"Walker, he hasn't told anyone…at least not officially."

"I think that ship has sailed, Beverly. People are already talking back at headquarters, and they're not happy. When he does show up again on the _Enterprise_ …my guess is that his bosses back on Earth are going to try and keep him on a very short leash."

"Well, can't you do something about it Walker? If anyone has pull at Headquarters, you do."

"I can't do a damn thing floating out here in space. Besides, Admiral Nechayev is still in his corner-for the moment."

She ran a hand through her hair. "For the moment..." She looked up at the screen resolutely. "I hate to do it, but I'm going to have to call Jack, and ask him to calm things down for Jean-Luc, back home."

Walker's face darkened, and he glanced away.

"What is it, Walker? What are you not telling me?"

He turned his attention back to the screen. "Speaking of Jack, I forgot to mention-he's with me on board this ship."

"What? Were you ever going to tell me this?"

"Sorry," he muttered. "If it wasn't for Jack I never would have managed to get a ship out here."

She shook her head slowly. "Walker, haven't we got enough problems without Jack and Jean-Luc together and fighting again? What ever happened to his new political career?"

"Beverly, can't you give him a break? He's just worried about you and Wesley."

"When will you three realize I can take care of myself and my son just fine?"

He smiled. "I know."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Beverly hesitated inside the doorway. Lieutenant Commander T'Sara was still conversing with Yar, and she hadn't expected this. Yar sat on the recovery bed, while T'Sara stood nearby with the perfect posture common in Vulcans.

Yar's face was battered black and blue in some places. Although Beverly knew it would fade in just a few days with dermal regeneration, it was still alarming. Still, a confident smile was plastered on her face. Whether it was a defensive smile, or genuine, Crusher could only guess. It was odd seeing Yar this way, as she had on every other occasion seemed restrained and formal.

"Are you refusing to provide a statement about what happened to you, Lieutenant Yar?"

Her smile faded slightly. "I told you...I already wrote a security report and submitted it to Commander Data."

"I am not averse to filing a report regarding your insubordination, Lieutenant," T'Sara said stiffly.

"Oh, are you giving me an order? Now I remember...you wanted to keep everything professional between us."

"Starfleet regulations require that-"

"Let's not quote regulations, alright? Let's just be honest why you're really here," Yar insisted, leaning forward, again with an innate confidence.

 _What is happening with these two?_ "Lieutenant," announced Beverly, walking briskly in to Yar's recovery room.

Yar straightened in alarm when Crusher entered the room, but then smiled with apparent relief. She leaned her weight back on the recovery bed, returning her gaze to the science officer. "Lucky me, it looks like visiting hours are over," she remarked, shooting the Vulcan a smug grin.

T'Sara turned to Crusher respectfully. Beverly detected a surprising glint of embarrassment in the Vulcan's dark eyes. "If you will excuse me, Doctor, I am needed on the bridge," T'Sara said before moving to exit the room.

"Thanks," Yar said, giving Crusher a sideways glance.

 _Just like that, the reserve is back._ Beverly cleared her throat and grabbed a stray tricorder that was sitting on a nearby table, and dropped it into her pocket. "So...what was that all about?"

She met Yar's gaze the young woman looked away with a shrug. "It's personal," she murmured.

"I gathered that."

Yar looked downright guilty, and Beverly couldn't tell if it was just her bruised ego as Security Chief at having left the captain behind, or something else. Despite what Wesley had told her, she couldn't shake the suspicion that still lingered when it came to Yar.

"Doctor," Yar said uncertainly, folding her hands in her lap. "The nurse was just here," she said quickly.

"I know," Beverly said, frowning as she read Yar's chart. "And she said you were entirely non-cooperative. In fact, nurse Chavez said you refused to be examined. Care to try this again?" she asked with a deceptively sweet voice, plopping the chart down on the end of the bed.

Yar shifted and her left hand floated to her right side. Beverly noted that the knuckles of both hands were bruised purple. "I did cooperate," she said quietly. "I let them stitch me up and everything." She pointed to a small dermal knitter along her jawline. "So I am fine," she said as if that settled everything.

"Of course you are," Beverly said, sitting down next to Yar. "Now," she said, reaching out both hands to feel along Yar's jawline gently. "Turn your head for me to the left… up and down… now to the right. Good. Now keep your head still and follow with your eyes." She held up her index finger and moved it slowly from one end of Yar's field of vision to the other, and Tasha complied. "Amazingly you have no concussion, which I never thought would be possible, considering the beating you took."

Yar flinched visibly. "Beating? I was in a fight. It wasn't a beating, Doctor," she said in a way that communicated where she came from there was a large difference between the two.

Beverly gave a small shrug as she tested the reflexes in Yar's arms and legs. "Was it a fair fight?" she asked neutrally.

Yar laughed shortly. "I guess," she said coolly and looked away.

Beverly smiled slowly. "You don't trust me, do you?"

Yar keep her gaze averted. "Please don't take offense," she said quietly. "I don't trust anyone."

"Not even Counselor T'Sara?" She tapped at Yar's inner wrist, testing her reflexes.

Yar made a derisive sound. "Right."

"I should think you would be more careful when speaking with your commanding officers, Lieutenant. T'Sara could have you formally reprimanded."

Yar's expression tightened, but she said nothing.

"Is that how you treat everyone who cares about you?"

Yar rolled her eyes up at the ceiling. "She doesn't care about me, Doctor," she said convincingly. "And that's fine. Nothing new there."

Beverly ran her tricorder along Yar's shin, and looked at her sharply. "You've got a hairline fracture here that was missed earlier. How did you get it?"

"I kicked him and he blocked it—most of it."

"Caine?" Beverly said, still using the bone knitter on the injured leg. Yar didn't answer, but Beverly could feel her tense up further. "Wesley told me what you did." She tried to catch Yar's gaze, but she continued to look away. "He told me that you saved his life in fact. Thank you."

Yar finally glanced at her. "He was very brave," she said. "I'm just glad that I showed up when I did."

Beverly allowed herself to smile. "I am too. Wes is going to be fine."

"Good," Yar said, looking down at her bruised hands.

Beverly reached out to place the tricorder down, and Yar jolted backwards before catching herself. She grabbed for her injured side again, and held her hand there. Beverly held out her open palms. "It's okay," she said gently. "You don't like to be touched…is that part of the problem here?"

Yar clamped her mouth shut. "It's not really that," she said tightly.

Beverly sighed and moved on the bed, putting some distance between them, hoping that things would improve. "Well? You don't have to tell me, but…."

"You make me nervous," Yar said abruptly, glancing back at her.

Beverly laughed, and touched her chest lightly in surprise. "Me? Why?"

Yar exhaled and shook her head looking somewhat mortified as she flushed a darker shade and looked away again.

 _Definitely more similar to Jean-Luc than I would have ever thought. "_ Oh," said Beverly now understanding. She cleared her throat. "Well, I certainly don't mean to make you nervous, Lieutenant. Let's just finish the exam, shall we?"

"Okay," Yar mumbled.

"Now," said Beverly. "I want to mention that anything you say to me in here is confidential…and I'm saying that now, because I want to talk about what happened to you before you left the _Enterprise_ on the away team mission. Perhaps the same subject that T'Sara wanted to talk to you about?"

Yar closed her eyes and shook her head slowly as if silently berating herself. Maybe she was. But her expression was resigned as though it really wasn't worth trying to lie.

 _She's not surprised by the question, good._ "Tasha…who stabbed you? I can see you made some kind of attempt to treat your wound, but it wasn't quite enough was it? You almost bled to death on that mission. I can't guarantee that Captain Picard won't find out about this later on…but I won't mention it to him, as long as you can be honest with me right now."

"I think he already knows," Yar said with a thin smile. "He figured it out before we left…back in the transporter room. He still let me go," she said

"Tasha…what happened to you?"

Yar shook her head. "I can't tell you, Doctor, I'm sorry."

* * *

Beverly walked slowly down the corridor toward her quarters, unsure it seemed of almost everything in her life. Except her exhaustion; she was sure of that, and could not wait to go and fall into bed. Whether she would be capable of falling asleep was another story.

She had momentarily closed her eyes while walking, as if to prepare them for sleeping when there was a loud rush of air and suddenly Jean-Luc was in front of her. And he was on fire. She screamed, and slowly the fire subsided to a reddish orange glow. His hair still appeared as though it was on fire as he addressed her.

"Beverly! It's alright…it's me."

"I know it's you, Jean-Luc! Now why the hell are you on fire?"

He smiled through the eerie glow. "I've been inside a star," he said. "It takes some time to fade," he admitted apologetically.

"Of course it does," she conceded in a resigned voice.

"Beverly," he said reaching out for her hand. She jumped as he took hold of her fingers, but to her surprise there was no heat, despite the continued corona surrounding his body.

"I'm angry with you, Jean-Luc. If you're alright, I'm very relieved…but forgive me if I can't actually tell, because you are on _fire_."

He laughed and the contrast of his teeth against his flaming face was almost beautiful it was so frightening. He held fast to her hand. "I want to marry you, Beverly," he said, and his hair seemed to flare more brightly.

Her mouth fell open.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

She closed her mouth and came quickly to her senses. "I don't know," she blurted out.

The mini-sun that had been Jean-Luc was extinguished abruptly and he was in his regular uniform again. Bowing her head she quickly walked past him.

"Wait," he called after her. "What do you mean you don't know?"

She turned back. "I mean exactly what I said, Jean-Luc. I don't know."

"But I thought…but I love you, Beverly."

"I know."

"Then…."

"If I were to marry you," she said walking back to him. "It would have to be conditional on one thing," she said.

"Name it," he said quickly. "Anything."

"You have to give up your power. For good." She watched him closely. "So with that condition on the table, Jean-Luc…will you marry _me_?"

He looked stunned, then took a step backward. "I-I don't know."

"You don't know?" She didn't care that the hurt was evident in her voice.

"But…Seth is still out there. He's missing."

"And let me guess, you intend to leave here again in order to find him. I want to do anything I can to find him too, Jean-Luc, but not if it means you have to lose your humanity forever."

He grabbed her hand. "Just give me some time—"

She snatched her hand away. "You don't need any time. You've already made your choice." And she turned and walked away from him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

 _ **USS Enterprise**_

"You have disappointed me immensely, Captain. Imagine me believing that I had struck gold when I convinced you to rejoin the Fleet just months ago. Little did I know you were lying to me all the while."

"Admiral, I wasn't lying to you. I was merely keeping my personal life, personal."

Admiral Nechayev's expression remained unmoved, and Picard was glad he was only talking to her through subspace. "That may have been true a few days ago, Captain, but everything you did on board the Eureka, you did while in the line of duty. You seem to have forgotten that you are acting on behalf of Starfleet every time you put on that uniform. Now I wouldn't need to tell the old Jean Luc Picard these things, and you know that."

"It won't happen again, Admiral."

"Oh...I wouldn't be so sure about that, Captain."

"What do you mean?"

"There are people in Starfleet Intelligence who have every intention of exploiting your so called "power" as soon as they get the chance."

"It's part of my physiology, you can't do that."

"Are you aware that your official species classification has already been re-registered as 'Human-hybrid'? Many people already assume you are no longer a human being. There are even some nuts who believe your return is part of some planned alien invasion."

He stood up quickly and slammed his hand on the desk. "That is outrageous! They have no right. I'm still a human being, Alynna..."

She sat forward indignantly. "Are you? Human beings don't have the capability to launch themselves through the hull of a ship unassisted...and survive."

"Isaac Chandra's report wasn't entirely accurate-"

"Doesn't matter. The damage has been done. Oh, and Chandra was a plant. He was transferred by me to Enterprise security to keep an eye on Yar. It just so happens, he had the quick-thinking to send a report along about your activities on board the Eureka."

"Does Chandra know about Yar's other life as a Q?"

Nechayev merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"I believe someone harmed her before we beamed over onto the Eureka,"he pressed. "Who else knows about her?"

"You tell me, Captain." He could tell just by looking at her, that she had no intention of telling him all that she knew. And she considered what he had done as a breach of trust between them. But it was _his_ life, his body and mind. It hadn't _been_ her business until now.

"The bottom line, Jean-Luc, is that there are political forces above me who are incredibly suspicious of your abilities, and skeptical that someone with such power would be able to carry out the duties of a Starfleet captain in accordance with our principles." If she was aware of his growing anger, she didn't pause to sympathize. "I have been ordered to inform you, Captain Picard that you have been suspended from duty for two days. Why two? Because I simply had to pick a number. In addition, you are not to use your power again while on duty, unless it has been expressly sanctioned by command. And, there may be a time when you are ordered to use it."

He contemplated snapping his fingers and sending himself to Earth to confront her personally. To make her see how outraged he truly was. "I will resign before I allow myself to be used, Admiral."

"Think again, Captain. This is very serious. As long as you are in Starfleet you have the protection of rank, and I will continue, despite your violation of our friendship, to be your advocate here at Command. But if you leave, I'm afraid you run the real risk of disappearing without a trace to some clandestine medical facility for study."

He took a deep breath to steady his anger and nerves. He knew she was trying to shake him back to the old Picard...stolid, dependable, controlled. He knew that he still _was_ all of those things, or they were inside him at least, making fleeting appearances only to retreat and become dormant again. But where was the Power now, to comfort and guide him? Nowhere to be found. "Then I am requesting immediate temporary leave from Starfleet."

"Why...so that you can hunt down Marco and bring back your son?"

"Yes."

"Request denied."

"Admiral-"

"When your current mission is complete I will reconsider your request."

"Mission, our mission is complete. We re-captured Will Riker."

"This is much bigger than Riker now. And it's bigger than Marco. The same viral entity that is influencing him, is influencing countless others, who have gathered in a system deep in the Orion territories."

"For what purpose?"

"We believe this virus is aggressive, and more importantly it is quite aware of what it is doing. Its leader is currently hibernating in your son's neck."

"Marco believes it is a jewel that will help lead him to the secret of eternal life," the admiral continued. "The Remans believe it is a weapon that will help them conquer the Romulans. The Ferengi believe it will bring them eternal wealth. The list goes on and on. Not one of the afflicted people believes that they are infected. The virus is remarkably intelligent. It has convinced all of these groups to gather together, disguising itself as something to be coveted by all."

"To what end?"

Nechayev shrugged. "Galactic domination? Annihilation? Jean-Luc, you've been at this long enough to know that it can't be good. Certainly, the potential for intergalactic war is very real."

Picard sat back down. He dropped his face into his palm, feeling that all hope had left him, if only briefly. He should have done something when they first learned of the virus inside Seth. He should have known. His hands began to shake under the table, and he clasped them together tightly. Finally he met her gaze, which for the first time during their conversation did not seem cold to him.

"The mission seems obvious," he said. _And at least I will have a chance of finding Seth._

"Find out what this sentient disease is up to, and prevent it from wreaking havoc on the galaxy."

* * *

"Blink...okay, now keep your pupil as still as you can. Good," Beverly took a step back and patted her patient on the shoulder. "Thanks for coming by this morning. All the tests check out, your physiological scan appears normal..."

"But?"

"But, I don't know if you are aware of this, Will, but you have been acting a little odd since you escaped Marco."

On cue, he broke into a weird grin. " _Really_? But I feel great!"

She tapped her tricorder on the table next to her. "And...my scan of your superior frontal cortex showed results consistent with someone who has been hypnotized. I compared to the rest of the away team members. The only two other team members who have similar brain scan results are Isaac Chandra and Mark Spano."

"What? Oh." He gave a little shrug. "I guess that's just residue from Marco's influence." He tried to force a frown, realizing that she probably didn't like Marco so much, given that he had kidnapped her kids. Still, he knew once she _truly_ got to know Marco she would feel the same as he did.

"Still, Ashley Howell and Michael Chen were with Lieutenant Yar most of the time, and they're fine, and so is she. At any rate, the virus is undetectable. Just let me know if you begin to feel differently. Okay?"

Riker's wasn't listening anymore, and his expression had grown distant. "Yar's back."

She squeezed his shoulder sympathetically. "I know it's going to take some getting used to, Will, but yes...she's back. However," she said with a brighter expression, "she's very different now." She turned away and started to put her equipment away. "Very different," she repeated almost to herself. Then she turned back to Will, who looked a little confused, still trying to work the idea of seeing Yar again around in his mind.

He blinked and looked at her. "Um...sure. Okay," he said, sliding down from the exam table.

She smiled up at him. "You're free to go then. Give my regards to Deanna and little Iana."

Riker smiled, still a little strangely and turned to leave, when they heard quick footsteps racing toward them.

"Not so fast," Picard nearly shouted, halting in front of Riker. He pressed his open hand into Will's chest. "Where the hell is my son, Riker?"

Beverly looked between both men, not certain yet if she wanted to intervene. She hadn't spoken to Jean-Luc since the night before when he had returned to the Enterprise in a flaming ball of fire and had asked her to marry him. It hadn't gone well, and she'd done some thinking, having been unable to sleep all night long.

Riker's forehead wrinkled in good-natured confusion, as though his friend was putting him on. Wesley had returned to the ship with everyone else, but then it still seemed like a dream. "Huh?"

"Seth! Where is he?" Picard dropped his hand and left it clenched in a fist at his side. He was extremely frustrated, and tired. The Power was restraining him, keeping him from using it, and he didn't know how to convince it that he was safe. That all he wanted to do was find his son. And now Starfleet Command was on his back. And he had let Beverly down. All he knew was that he was beginning to feel overwhelmed. And for now he needed to take it out on Riker. "You know Marco's plans, so where is he going? What does he want with Seth?"

Riker shrugged. "He just kept talking about how you stole his son, and how he wanted him back. How Seth is so important to him."

Picard's jaw clenched. "I stole his son? Listen to me Riker...that man that you so blindly followed, and gave the goddamn Enterprise schematics to-"

"Wow! How did you know that?" Riker asked with genuine surprise, but Picard just glared at him. Will looked at Beverly. "How did he know I did that? Oh...right, he's still kind of a Q..."

Beverly threw up her hands, and stepped away from the two of them.

Picard continued his angry rant. "Riker, he _sold_ Seth's mother to Orions when she was pregnant with Seth. That's how much he cared about his son. Do you know how Orions treat their prisoners? Do you?"

"Hey, hey," Riker said, backing up. "Look, I'm sorry for everything, but you have to understand, I couldn't help it. You have to believe me, I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"But you knew what could happen-"

"Enough!" Beverly walked back quickly to step between them. "I am trying to run a sick bay here, and _Captain_ , you are making a scene."

Picard turned on her. "Wesley could have been killed, and Seth is still missing because Riker aided and abetted Marco, and you're _defending_ him? I suppose that means my transgressions against you are somehow worse?"

She froze, and waited a few seconds before replying as carefully as possible. "Jean-Luc, I'm trying to be professional and I can tell you right now that bringing our personal lives into this is not a good idea. Especially after your behavior last night."

" _My_ behavior?"

Beverly glanced around her at the growing number of staff who had now stopped what they were doing to watch. "I'll discuss this with you later, Captain. Now if you would please leave!"

Picard abruptly turned and did just that, without another word. She watched him leave, unsure about what had just happened.

Riker who was still standing there awkwardly, pointed at himself. "Me too?"

Beverly rubbed her forehead. Something was still very wrong with Will, no matter what the test results said. "Yes, Will. You can go now."

"Great." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before leaving. She thought she heard him whistling out in the hallway, before she returned to her duties.

* * *

The gym was empty save for one lone occupant. The sound of her breathing echoed through the large room. Tasha Yar hung suspended on an exercise bar, doing one pull up after the other. She had clearly been at it for a while, because the pull-ups were less disciplined, more desperate. She was facing away from him, and the muscles in her upper back strained with the effort.

Picard walked closer until he was looking up at her.

"You lied to me," he said simply.

Startled, she lost her grip and dropped to the mat. Crouching, she twisted around to stare up at him, before scrambling to her feet. He noticed a wince of pain, and she held her lower right side briefly before straightening to face him. "I'm sorry, Captain, I didn't hear you come in."

He crossed his arms. "You said that you were testing your emergency site to site transport, but you weren't quite _testing_ it were you? You were transporting from a real emergency, weren't you?"

Yar wiped at the sweat rolling down her forehead. "I'm sorry sir, I promise that I won't lie to you again."

He pointed at her. "Not good enough. I want to know what happened to you, Lieutenant. No more lies, or we're done here. And so is your very promising career."

Yar nodded quickly. "Yes, sir, but I just assumed that Doctor Crusher told you, Captain."

"Oh you did, did you?"

"Well...I feel badly, because she was fixing me up after we returned from Marco's ship, and she asked me what happened and I wasn't honest with her sir-"

"And now I am asking you, Lieutenant," he shouted, his voice echoing through the empty room. He paced away, before turning back to face her. "I don't want to talk about Doctor Crusher," he said in a much quieter voice.

Yar straightened, and placed her hands behind her back. It was the first time since she had met him, that Captain Picard seemed vulnerable to her. But then as he approached, the visible anguish in his facial expression evened out, and he was again focused on getting the truth from her. He stopped and stood there watching her expectantly. "Yes, sir." She looked down at the floor. "It was a surprise attack, sir. The guy came from behind and stabbed me here," she pointed to her right side.

Picard nodded. "Were you able to identify him?"

She shook her head. "No sir."

He walked over and sat down on a bench and patted the seat beside him. Yar hesitated a moment before going to sit down.

He looked at her closely. "And you're healing properly now?"

"Yes. Doctor- Crush- I mean sick bay said I'd be cleared for duty in two days, sir."

He smiled slightly and looked down at his feet. "Starfleet Command has suspended me for two days. So we'll be resuming duty together."

The look of shock on the young woman's face was immediate. "What? Suspended... sir, why?"

He looked back at her. "You saw what I did, Lieutenant. I exposed my secret. The one only you and a few others knew about. But more than that, I let my emotions get the best of me. I acted inappropriately."

"Captain, this isn't fair! You were only trying to save your sons, and you kept the rest of us safe."

He shrugged. "To be honest with you, Lieutenant, I could use a few days off, and so could you. You are a very good officer, but you're also reckless and you need to slow down before you get yourself killed."

She looked him in the eye. "Captain, you saved my life...for the second time on board that ship. I'll never forget it."

He put a hand on her shoulder. As was typical, he felt her tense, and so he dropped his hand and turned his eyes forward. "You didn't lie about Caine. He certainly intended to kill you." He looked at her again. "But as I saw you lying on that deck, Yar...I saw something in your face, daring him to finish the job. You didn't want to live."

The muscles in her jaw twitched. "All I have is my career sir. Lately I have been wondering if that's really enough."

He smiled weakly. "I believe I understand. But you have much to live for, Tasha."

She nodded, but didn't seem convinced. "If we meet Caine again sir..."

"We will," he reassured her.

"You have to stay away from him. It's not safe, Captain."

He chuckled. "That much is clear." He grew completely serious again. "What is the source of hatred between you and Caine?"

"He killed my parents," she said with little emotion. _And then I learned to kill for him,_ she continued silently to herself. But if she told him that, she would want to tell him everything. Things that even Gilda never knew.

He stared at her with quiet astonishment. "I'm sorry, Yar. You have every reason to hate that man."

She shrugged and looked away. The conversation about her parents was simply over.

He got to his feet, and she looked up at him.

"I can't officially give you any orders for two days, Lieutenant..."

She was watching him carefully.

Picard turned to look at her. "But I need you to promise me that you won't do anything you might regret later on."

"Sir?"

"I know you...perhaps better than you think. And I know you want revenge for what happened to you yesterday when you were stabbed. But I am asking you to put revenge aside, and settle for justice. Make an official report, and allow for an investigation."

She seemed to stare through him. "I'll try Captain," she said in almost a whisper.

* * *

 ** _The Eureka_**

Seth watched carefully as the tall man knelt down in front of him. He wasn't afraid, even though he was strapped into a chair imprisoned and immobile inside what appeared to be the medical bay of a strange ship. Finally faced with his long lost father, he felt nothing. Not even fear. It occurred to Seth then that nothing Marco could do to him would be as horrible as being indoctrinated into the world of the Borg. So he was not frightened, despite the fact that he could sense that Marco was completely unconcerned for his welfare.

Marco grinned, and his bright green eyes looked more vibrant the closer he approached. "Don't worry, kid...I knew this wasn't going to be easy."

Seth looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"You have what I want, Seth. And you're going to give it to me."

"I still don't know what you're talking about, Marco."

Marco leaned back on his heels. "Sure you do, kid. Remember, I'm your dear old dad...I know you. At least, I knew your mother."

"She hated you. She always told me you weren't worth talking about."

Marco didn't look surprised. "Well, your mother had a few reasons to hate me. Maybe she was right about me...but that still didn't justify her trying to sabotage my business once she got sick of playing the game."

Seth remained calm. "Whatever it is you think I have...I can't help you."

"Are you playing a game with me too, Seth?"

"No."

Marco stood up slowly and turned as Caine walked into the medical bay.

The man's face, neck and arms were bruised and he was limping slightly. Marco and Seth watched as the stocky man walked to a counter, opened a drawer and took out a small hypo."Have you come for your nightly fix, Caine?" Marco asked.

Caine ignored him.

Marco called out again to his partner. "Who was that woman? Was that the security chief Riker told us about? She really beat your ass, didn't she?" Caine didn't reply, as he silently readied the hypospray.

Caine didn't acknowledge Marco's presence, as he placed the hypo against the side of his neck with a hiss. His body jerked slightly. Still not turning around to face them, he said "Just like Picard beat yours. Threw you right out of the _Eureka_ into space. Good thing you know how to put yourself back together, boss."

"It's not safe to rely on a chemical for your well-being Caine."

Caine turned around, and his pupils were dilated. The veins in his arms and neck seemed ready to pop. Gradually the cuts and bruises seemed to stand out less on his body.

Seth watched him carefully. _He takes drugs to stay strong._

Caine laughed and tossed the empty hypo on the counter behind him. "We all have our weaknesses, Marco...even you."

Marco shrugged. "Get over here, I need your help with the kid."

Caine cracked his knuckles. "Gladly." Before Seth could run, he had scooped him up and thrown him face up on to one of the examination tables. The boy struggled, kicking his legs as hard as he could.

Marco gripped Seth by the shoulders. "Come on, turn him over."

Suddenly Seth realized something. The virus creature inside his neck was angry. Not with him, but with Marco. He let his body go limp.

Caine grabbed him and rolled him onto his stomach. He heard a knife being pulled from a sheath, and felt the cold metal tip against the base of the back of his neck as his forehead sunk into fabric. There was a strong pressure, which abruptly stopped.

Marco was speaking. "What are you waiting for? Cut out the jewel."

"Are you sure this is really what you want?" Caine seemed to be taunting his boss.

"Just do it!" Marco snarled, suddenly not so calm.

The knife tip again. Again even greater pressure, but no pain at all. Gradually he felt Marco loosen his grip on his shoulders.

"It's not working," Caine said with a smile in his gruff voice. "What happened to your plan...Marco?"

He heard Marco step away. "Your knife's too dull. A laser scalpel should work just fine."

Seth tried to sit up, suddenly panicked, but Caine held him tight. Seth looked up at Marco. "He doesn't want to come out right now, that's why he won't leave my neck," he blurted out.

Marco gazed into Seth's face. "What are you talking about, kid? Who's 'he?'"

"The person in my neck. He won't let you take him out right now. You're making him angry."

Marco laughed and backed away. He looked at Caine. "The kid's talking complete gibberish now."

Caine's eyes narrowed to slits. "Yeah...he sure is."

Seth's gaze shifted from Marco to Caine. _Marco's convinced it's a precious jewel...he doesn't understand that he and the others are sick. But I'm not sick, and Caine's not either. Caine knows!_

"Enough staring," Marco snapped. "Help me get him ready for surgery." He leaned in, and Seth saw a flash of a gold tooth. "Don't worry kid, we'll put you under this time. Just like the first time."

* * *

 **I was waiting for an update to this story and then remembered I actually have to write one, so um here it is. Thanks for reading. -PP**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

 **USS Enterprise, Orion Territories**

Riker sat with Deanna and the baby on a couch in their guest quarters on the Enterprise. He was just so happy to be back on board and reunited with his friends and family. But he still felt a creeping guilt about all the bad things he'd done on board the Eureka...and about the fact that he still missed Marco. But he couldn't say any of these things out loud, could he? The others, even Deanna, wouldn't understand. But once he was reunited with Marco, they would all understand.

The door chime beeped, and he almost got up to answer it, when Lwaxana swept in from another room.

"I'll get it," she called out in a sing-song voice. A moment later, the door swished open, and there stood Captain Picard.

First of all, his mind was impossible to read. But his face told her everything. He looked quite similar now to that earlier episode in sick bay when poor Seth had been invaded by that strange creature-yes, he looked desperate and sad. But there was an anger there too that she wasn't sure she quite trusted around her new grandchild. But then again, he seemed mostly sad. She gave the captain her most diplomatic smile. "Captain, what can I do for you? You look absolutely heartbroken, dear!"

"Hello, Mrs. Troi-"

"Oh, my dear, please call me Lwaxana. We're practically family now."

His eyebrows shot up. "Oh...well, I don't-"

"You want to talk to Will don't you? Or perhaps you'd like to hold little Iana? Deanna named her after her father, the love of my life Ian Troi. But you probably already knew that, didn't you?"

Picard stared at her. He felt completely lost at the moment, and this woman was talking a mile a minute, and he was only catching perhaps half of what she said. "I would like to speak to Riker, if he's available."

"Riker...how oddly formal. Yes of course, he's not much help to my daughter, so he probably _is_ available. Will!" she called back over her shoulder in a jolting, loud voice. "Will, that lovely Captain Picard is here to see you." She turned back with a calculating but diplomatic expression. "I love Will, but something has been very wrong with that young man ever since he returned from that-that-"

"Marco?"

"Yes, that dreadful Marco person." She reached out the grasp his hand. "You, Captain, on the other hand are anything _but_ dreadful." She leaned in. "In fact-"

Picard pulled his hand away awkwardly and cleared his throat as Riker appeared in the doorway. He sighed in relief, as Lwaxana retreated with a little wave at him.

Riker offered his friend what seemed to be a genuine but wary smile. "Hi," he said. "Did you come here to yell at me again?"

Picard crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Actually no," he said somewhat sheepishly. "I came to apologize for earlier...in sick bay."

Riker shrugged. "Hey, don't worry about it."

Picard rubbed his chin. "I know you were under Marco's control. You were infected...the point is, Riker, I can't blame you forever, so I might as well stop blaming you now."

Riker laughed. "Hey, really don't worry about it. Deanna just had a baby, I'm back with my friends...things are great with me. Really."

Picard had expected more resistance. He was so used to arguing with Beverly that he had become accustomed to needing a back-up argument, and perhaps one to back that one up as well when it failed to convince her. But Riker was calm, almost impossibly so. "Yes, but I blame myself to a degree for your disappearance. I know I never fully explained to you why I brought Yar back in the way I did, and you were depressed about Shelby-"

Suddenly Riker grabbed his shoulders. "Hey! I said, don't _worry_." He pulled him unexpectedly into a hug. Picard tried to back out of his friend's embrace, but Riker held on to him tightly. "Picard," he whispered.

"What?" Picard whispered back.

"I'm in trouble...I really need your advice."

Jean-Luc pulled back to look up at his friend in confusion. " _What_? You just said you were doing well," he declared loudly.

Riker held his index finger to his lips. "Shh!"

Picard silently held out his palms with a baffled expression.

"I cheated on Deanna."

Picard scratched his temple. "Doesn't she already know?"

Riker looked horrified. "I hope not!"

Picard closed his eyes briefly. "Riker, on the other side of that door are two people with mind reading capabilities-three if you count your newborn daughter, and you honestly believe that they don't know what you did?"

Riker shook his head seriously. "Lwaxana would have said or _done_ something to me if she knew. I know she's tried...she knows I'm hiding something, but for some reason it's not leaking out of here," he said tapping his skull.

Picard frowned down at his feet. "You know, it's possible that Marco's infection has left some residue over your thoughts-like a veil of sorts."

"Really?" Riker brightened more than he should have.

"It's possible," repeated Jean-Luc, watching his friend closely. Lwaxana was right, Riker had been hiding something. But he continued to have an almost dreamy expression which was unlike him.

Will's expression changed back to one of intense anxiety. "I still have to tell her, right?"

Picard took a step backwards. "Oh, no, you're not putting that responsibility on me, Riker!"

"Then tell me what to do! Come on, Picard, you owe me...after all that advice I gave you back when you were trying to get Beverly not to hate you so much-"

"Yes, _speaking_ of that-"

"Uh-uh, Picard. Me first."

Jean-Luc sighed. He tried to think carefully. What did Beverly always tell him? _Honesty. Communication._ He smiled up at Riker. "Just tell her you made a mistake."

Riker shook his head quickly.

Picard's eyes narrowed, attempting to interpret his friend's strange signals. "What...alright. Tell her you made a _few_ mistakes, and that-"

Riker ran his palms over his face, now looking anguished. Picard finally understood. "Do I even want to ask how many?"

Riker squinted up at the ceiling as though running some estimates through his brain. "...thirty?"

"Thirty?" Picard nearly jumped off the deck. "Riker you were hardly gone one week...good god."

"Shh! How do I tell her?"

"Well, you slept with thirty people over just a few days. That's a new one for me...in other words, how the hell should I know?"

"They weren't all exactly _people_ ," Riker admitted. "Marco's got himself a very diverse crowd on that ship."

Picard nodded. "Hmm. There's really only one solution. You can't tell her."

"But-is that it? That's your advice?"

"Do you want to ruin the joy she is experiencing by telling her what you did? You'll break her heart, Riker."

Riker rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "I really don't want to upset her." He looked up. "You're right, I should keep this to myself for now."

* * *

 **Turkana IV, 2348**

 _"I won't take the disruption and thefts any longer, Tasha. You need to do something about your sister."_

 _"It's not my fault she's strung out."_

 _"If you don't get her off the spark soon, I'll do it for her the hard way...you know, just like I did for you, Tash." Caine smiled and smacked his fist into his open hand._

 _"You're the one who got her dealing spark, and now she's hooked. What did you expect?" The defiant girl stood between Caine and her young sister Ishara, who was curled up and quivering on the cracked pavement. "She won't touch your stash again. I'll take care of it."_

 _"You'd better."_

 _She reached down to pull her sister up. "Get up, Ish," she urged, yanking the girl by the arm. "Come on!" Grabbing the unsteady girl around the shoulders, she began to walk away._

 _"Leave her somewhere and then get your ass back here," sneered Caine. "I've got another job for you."_

 _Tasha stopped and turned to look up at him with open hatred. There was no way out of Caine's gang. At least not while you were alive. Besides, Caine ran what was left of the capitol city. There was nowhere to go unless you fled to live in the surrounding swamps and forests. "I thought you said I could take a break, Caine. I'm tired."_

 _He laughed and grabbed her by the collar of her dirty shirt. "You're tired? Eleven year olds don't get tired. Besides, your age is the perfect cover...no one ever suspects a skinny little kid to be a stone killer. But you are, aren't you kid? Maybe you were born that way after all."_

 _She twisted out of his grip. "Who is it?" she demanded._

 _"Someone who owes me. But it doesn't matter." He tossed her a knife, which she easily caught by the handle. "You'll kill who I tell you to."_

* * *

Tasha Yar awoke in the middle of the floor of her quarters. She blinked and sat up stiffly. It was pitch dark, and for a moment she questioned if she was really safe on the Enterprise or somewhere in danger seventeen long years ago.

"Computer...time?"

 _"It is 2200 hours."_

"Increase lights, 60 percent," she said flatly, lifting the right side of her shirt to view her still healing scar. She frowned. The edge of the scar was red, and giving off heat. "It shouldn't be infected," she murmured to herself. But then again she had waited many hours before getting it properly dealt with in sick bay. She felt her forehead. She had a fever. She poked at her side again, grimacing as she recalled the incident in the corridor. The knife must have been coated with something. Someone had wanted to make sure she didn't survive. She beaten poisons before, if that was all it was.

 _Just need something to fight the infection._ She got up unsteadily and walked to her desk, where the emergency first aid med kit lay. She opened it, and searched the contents until she found a vial of antiseptic. She loaded it into a hypo and emptied it into her side with a hiss. She grabbed for more, but there was only one left in the kit. She loaded it into the hypo and dropped it into the pocket of her sweatpants. Unlocking a security drawer in the wall, she pulled out a small unregistered phaser, dropping that into her pocket as well.

She paced around the room unsteadily for a few more seconds before sitting down on the floor again. A slow burn crawled over her skin, and she grabbed for a bottle of water nearby on the floor. Drinking it fast, she dropped the bottle next to her and closed her eyes. She had to plan. There always had to be a plan. If there was no plan things would unravel, and she couldn't afford that. Couldn't afford a return to existing only to survive. She had to resolve this situation, to retain her discipline, to retain all of the positive things about her life. She had a hunch who had attacked her, but she had no idea what his motive had been. Still sitting on the deck, she leaned back on her hands and stretched her legs out straight in front of her.

She remembered Captain Picard's words to her in the gym. _"...I am asking you to put revenge aside, and settle for justice."_ Tasha sat forward covering her face with her hands. He was right. She didn't want to disappoint the Captain, but she couldn't just let this go, no matter what he said. There was more than one kind of justice. She couldn't let this go. Whoever had tried to kill her needed to be taught a lesson: that only one of them could survive. Running her hands through her hair, she tried to focus. _I'm off duty for two days. Whatever I need to do, I need to do during that time. No one needs to know. Especially not the Captain._

* * *

 **Ten Forward**

Tasha Yar moved almost silently into the room and sat down at the bar. She glanced around the desolate lounge before nodding at the bartender.

Guinan saw the young officer approach and put away the glasses she was drying. She could not help but observe that Yar looked different than when she had previously seen her. Aside from the fact that she was dressed casually, she appeared anxious and preoccupied. Her skin was pale and drawn. Guinan leaned forward with her palms on the bar. "You look like you could use a strong drink."

Yar laced her fingers together in front of her on the bar. "Me and strong drinks don't mix."

"Well, we have plenty here that only appear to be the real thing."

"If I have an imitation, I'll only seek out the real thing."

Guinan nodded. "So then what can I get you?"

Yar buried a shiver. Her skin felt clammy. "Just a glass of water."

"You came all the way here for a glass of water? Is your replicator broken?"

Yar finally met her eyes. She smiled slightly. "I didn't want to be in my quarters any longer."

"Care to talk about it?"

"No."

"Alright Lieutenant,"Guinan turned away to pour a glass of water. "Well I'm always here for those who want to talk...and for those who don't," she said, sliding the glass toward Yar.

Yar said nothing, but brought the water to her lips hesitantly before downing the whole thing. Her hand felt unsteady. She rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. Damn fever. "I'll have another."

Guinan obliged, and then leaned against the bar. "You remind me of someone. When I first met him, he was a lot like you."

Yar ignored the woman and drank the water more slowly this time. She was starting to feel a little better. She slid the empty glass back toward Guinan, before getting up from her seat. "Thanks."

Guinan tapped the bar slowly with one hand before putting a cup of something hot on the bar. "Have a seat for a few more minutes. Try this."

Yar made a face, but sniffed the air as the comforting aroma wafted upward. "What is it?"

"It's tea. Ever had it?"

Yar shook her head, no.

"I thought you might like it. It's one of the Captain's favorites."

Yar viewed the steaming mug suspiciously, but sat down almost automatically at the mention of Picard. After a moment she pulled the tea toward her and sipped at it thoughtfully before looking at Guinan over the rim of the cup. "It's good," she said simply.

Guinan smiled and came out from behind the bar. She took a seat next to Yar.

Yar stared into her cup. "Who do I remind you of?"

"When Captain Picard came on board the _Enterprise_ for the first time he didn't want to be here."

"Why?"

"You'd have to ask him that question...but if I had to guess I would say he didn't feel that he belonged here. He felt lost...like you."

Yar turned sharply to the bartender. "You should watch the way you talk about the Captain. He's a great person."

"Great people can't be lost?"

Yar shrugged. "Not him. And I'm not lost either."

"Well, it sounds like you have everything under control. Except for that fever. You might want to go get that checked out in sick bay."

Yar got up quickly, leaving behind her unfinished tea. "I don't think so. I've got something I need to do."

* * *

Yar pulled the hood of her sweatshirt down to cover her face. It was dark in the main security systems room, and she wanted to keep it that way. Of course, the computer knew an anonymous humanoid was in the room, but she had set its alertness level to minimum, and she wasn't wearing her communicator. The reality was she wasn't supposed to be there. Not at midnight, and not when she had been ordered off duty for the next two days. She hunched over the computer screen and pulled the hood down lower. Her head jerked up at the sound of a shuffle somewhere nearby. She froze. "Who's there?" she demanded.

There was no answer, so she squared her shoulders and resumed her task. She typed in the code, and began to scroll through the security files from the last seven days. After a few minutes she found what she had been looking for. _This is it._ _"Reporting Officer, Ensign Ashley Howell. Security incident report 1376, star date 43621.9. At approximately 1600 hours, Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge report edof an incident with one of his officers, Assistant Engineer David Arroyo. Ensign Arroyo-"_

The screen blinked out. _Damn._ She tried to bring it back, but the file cut off in the same spot, and hiccupped again when she tried to play it through. It was clear that most of the report had been deleted. She almost asked out loud about the source of the deletion, but she wanted to minimize her contact with the computer. She stood up angrily. She remembered seeing LaForge and T'Sara talking outside of engineering that day just minutes before she was stabbed. She recalled Chandra informing her earlier that day that some tech had started screaming obscenities in engineering, and threatening his co-workers. She'd left Isaac Chandra in charge of the incident in Engineering. He said he'd taken care of it. So where was the report, and why was Ashley Howell listed as the reporting officer? She moved toward the door. But it didn't matter. She knew now. _Arroyo._

* * *

Yar pulled her hood off and exited the systems room. She wasn't sure if she was surprised or not to find Isaac Chandra out in the corridor. He was across the hallway, standing near holodeck 10, and appeared to be waiting for someone. Had Chandra been in the systems room with her? Immediately suspicious, she walked toward him.

Isaac turned to regard her with a smile. "Chief, what are you doing here?"

She crossed her arms. "I was checking for a security report I asked you to write, Chandra."

"Oh? Sir, that doesn't seem like such a good idea. You're off duty after all." He watched her with the same strange smile on his face.

Yar walked closer. "Were you in the systems room with me just now, Ensign?"

Chandra didn't blink, still smiling. "No sir."

Yar studied his face for a few moments. "Where's the full report on the altercation in Engineering from four days ago?"

"Report sir?"

"The one I told you to make. I told you to handle the incident in Engineering, and you reported back to me that you had."

"I did sir. I delegated the situation to Ensign Howell, sir."

Yar pointed into his face. "I didn't tell you to delegate, Chandra, I told you to personally handle it! Now I find the report is partially deleted."

"Sir...why don't we talk about this when you're back on duty? I really don't think I'm supposed to be discussing this with you right now." Chandra put his hands behind his back with an ultra calm smile.

Yar kept her gaze fixed on his, and she realized she had not seen him since they had all returned from the away team. "Did sickbay clear you for duty, Ensign?"

"They sure did. No sign at all of the virus." Chandra grinned. "But sir...you don't look so good yourself. I'm glad you're taking a few days off to rest."

Yar broke his gaze and glanced down the hall. "Right," she murmured. "We'll resume our conversation in a few days, Mr. Chandra."

She walked past him and turned the corner. Something compelled her to stop, when she heard voices back in the direction she come from. She edged back toward the corner, and peered back down the corridor. Chandra had been joined by of all people, Commander Riker. The tech from the away team showed up seconds letter. The three men hugged each other as though they were old friends who hadn't seen one another in years. The expression on Riker's face was one of clear elation. Still chattering about something in a lively manner, they disappeared into the holodeck.

Yar watched in confusion, then shaking her head she resumed her journey in the opposite direction.

* * *

Jean-Luc nearly tiptoed into his quarters, followed by his son. They had just finished a marathon session of three dimensional chess in Ten Forward. His lack of interest in sleeping at night was apparently a leftover attribute from his days in the Q continuum when sleep simply did not exist. Wesley hadn't been too interested in sleeping either. They had played in near silence, even though there were many things still unspoken between them.

"Mom's asleep," Wesley whispered.

Picard glanced over his shoulder. "I should hope so, it's 3 am."

"So...you haven't said anything about where we're going next."

Picard handed Wesley the folded up game board. "We're headed even deeper into Orion territory."

"You sound worried."

He crossed his arms. "I am. I'm not sure what we'll find when we arrive at our destination."

Wesley looked down. Even the darkness could not hide the somber look on his face. "As long as we find Seth, that's all that matters." He looked up at his father, and tears shone in his eyes under the dim kitchen lights.

Picard put a hand on Wesley's shoulder. "There was nothing you could do, Wesley. I know you blame yourself, somehow, but if anyone is to blame for Seth's disappearance, it's me. I had all the power to stop it from happening, but Marco still took him."

Wesley shook his head. "I can't believe Admiral Nechayev suspended you from duty. For trying to save everyone. It's not right."

He smiled. "I hardly think that it was up to her, Wes. She was under a great deal of pressure from Headquarters. Anyway, it's only for a few days." He patted Wesley on the cheek. "Now, get some sleep. One of us has to be coherent tomorrow."

He moved away to sit down, pulling a blanket which was draped over the back of the couch. _She knows I hate this blanket. Point taken, Beverly._ He lay down, but noticed that Wesley was still standing there.

"Wesley?"

"Why are you still sleeping on the couch, anyway?"

He sighed and pulled the scratchy blanket up around his neck. "Wesley, it's much safer if you aren't aware of my...mistakes."

"Safer? What do you mean? I'll be fine," said Wesley.

Picard curled up and turned his face into the couch. "I meant safer for me," he mumbled. "Good night son."

"Good night sir."

Picard waited until he heard the door to Wesley's room shut before he turned onto his back again. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He closed his eyes, attempting to concentrate. _Where are you, Seth? I promise that I will find you._ He stretched his palm out in front of him, facing the ceiling. He felt a familiar and comforting warmth in his chest. When he opened his eyes he saw that a bright blue starscape was floating over his palm. The warmth in his chest expanded, and a green outline appeared inside the blue globe.

 _So you've decided to help me again?_ he asked the Power silently.

 _We want to help you, Jean-Luc, but you must display the proper discipline. You must avoid careless acts of violence. Do you understand?_

 _Yes, I understand. Is this star system what I think it is? Is Seth really there?_

 _You have applied your thoughts with the correct focus, Jean-Luc. The star system you have generated is not where Seth is now, but where he will be at the end of Marco's quest._

He sat up then to get a better look at it. He closed his eyes again, and when he had opened them again, the globe had dispersed, and now the stars floated around his head. He closed his eyes once more and could see a lush world, full of tropical forests and bright sunlight. A stone temple rose in front of him, rivulets of water coursed down over his face as he turned it upward. He opened his eyes again when a small noise broke his concentration.

He turned his head to see that Beverly was standing in the doorway of the bedroom looking out at him. How long she had been there, he had no idea. He swallowed and the starlight around his body flowed back into his hand. He closed his hand into a fist and the light was extinguished. He looked at her, and she looked at him for a few more moments before she turned silently and went back into the room.

* * *

At first Will Riker had looked around him in awe. The holodeck program was perfect. It was just how he had pictured it. Isaac Chandra and a few others he had seen around were there as well. When he saw the look on the others' faces, he knew they felt the same way he did. And he knew he had been right to accept Chandra's invitation.

"It begins with us," Chandra said. He offered his hand to Riker.

Riker took Chandra's hand and extended his own for someone else to take, as everyone joined hands around the circle. The light above was a beautiful, powerful sunlight that warmed his entire body. Riker lifted his face upward, and a cool mist surrounded his face. "What begins?" he whispered happily.

"The trip to Eternity," said Chandra. "Soon we will all travel there together."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

The conference room was empty at the moment, but Picard was quite aware that Data had summoned Lieutenant Yar early in the morning for a hearing. Although he was still suspended and therefore wasn't privy to the details, it wasn't hard to guess what Data's concerns were. Yar's attacker was still at-large, and Yar had yet to be cleared for duty after sustaining serious injuries. Knowing her history, and especially learning something of her violent history with Caine, Picard was concerned as well. So that morning, when he sat down across from his second in command, he hoped their conversation would a be a fruitful one. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Mr. Data."

"Of course, Captain."

"It's about Yar," Picard began. "You are investigating her attack-"

"Captain, I do not believe it is appropriate for you to interfere with this investigation, as you will remain suspended from duty for the next 17 hours."

"But you haven't arrested her attacker yet, have you?"

"Captain, Starfleet Command ordered me not share any of the specific details of my investigation with you. I was ordered to provide you only with standard operations updates "as needed" until you resume duty. That is all."

Picard pulled his chair forward. He hadn't expected to be shut down so quickly. "Look, Mr. Data...I'm not giving you any orders, and I'm not trying to exert my influence over your proceedings...but I _am_ asking for a favor."

Data leaned back diplomatically in his chair. "As _you_ might say, Captain, I am listening."

Picard, though intent on getting through to Data, smiled at the android's reasonable nature. "Data, I'm sure you would agree that this current situation with Yar is very delicate."

"Sir?"

"She was wounded by someone who clearly intended to kill her. She's new to this crew, and most of the old crew transferred off ship after Jack left the Fleet. Yet whoever tried to kill her somehow knows about the acts of her past self."

"Not necessarily. That person may have had some other unrelated motivation, Captain."

"Well no matter his motivation Data, we must take the utmost care in ensuring that her old identity is not made public, and more importantly, that it is not revealed to her."

"Captain, May I speak frankly?"

"Yes, of course, Data!"

"When you and the Q brought a new version of Tasha Yar into our reality, a reality which has seen so much devastation by the Borg, you must have considered the possibility that she would eventually come to realize who she is."

"Not who she is, Data, who she _was_ ," he said firmly.

"Nevertheless, there are certain variables that exist on board the Enterprise and elsewhere farther outside of our control which could result in Yar realizing that she has an alternate past in which she nearly destroyed the Federation."

"I can't argue with that Data. In fact, that is my very point. You see, someone has already recognized her and wants her dead."

"Captain, Lieutenant Yar waited three days to make an official report of the incident. By her own actions, she has compromised my ability to conduct a fair investigation. And she has increased the chances that her previous identity will be revealed."

Picard let his shoulders sag a little. Until that moment, the weight of what he had done had not fully sunk in. Yar's fate was still uncertain. "You're right. But you are acting Captain, Mr. Data, and I have no doubt that you will contain the situation as best you can."

"I appreciate your confidence in me, sir."

Picard smiled. "Every bit of it is warranted."

Data nodded, but glanced at the clock. "Captain, I am afraid I must ask you to leave, as the hearing will convene in approximately 8 minutes. If you remain I will be required to officially record your presence-"

"Yes, yes, I know-Nechayev. I appreciate your time, Commander. I can always count on you to remain objective." Picard got up to leave, just as the doors to the conference room opened. Beverly Crusher and Counselor T'Sara entered in mid-conversation, which they ceased abruptly when they saw him.

Beverly looked at him wide-eyed, and slowed as he passed. "What are you doing here?" she whispered. Her expression, to his surprise was one of empathy. "I heard you were suspended...it's so unfair-"

He smiled at her, as T'Sara departed to go and sit down at the conference table near Data. "It's fine. Don't worry."

Her expression changed abruptly. "Oh, so I'm not allowed to worry about you now?"

"I have to go now," he said, edging away.

"Of course you do, I don't want you in any more trouble with Command...just answer me one question, Jean-Luc."

He felt that his feet were stuck to the floor, but his upper body was still trying to escape. "Yes?"

"Where were you last night? Sulking inside another star?"

"No, I was sulking on the couch," he answered slowly.

"Where were you _before_ the couch," she clarified.

"Oh. Well, I was playing chess with Wesley in Ten Forward..for hours," he clarified, hoping it would help.

"And it didn't occur to you that I might want to see you?"

He glanced back at the Vulcan and android, who both sat quietly with similar impassive, mostly tolerant expressions. He wished the same type of calm for himself. "We need to talk," was his reply.

She crossed her arms. "Hmm...yes. We need to talk," she echoed.

"I'll see you later then," he said stepping into the doorway.

"M-hmm," she said, just as the door shut between them.

* * *

"Damn," he whispered to the door, before turning around.

The stares of the bridge crew were subtle, but he felt them anyway.

 _The other humans view you in a new light, Jean-Luc,_ said the power. _You must work to rebuild the trust of your crew._

"Thanks for the advice," he murmured, walking quickly by the command center.

As Picard neared the turbo lift, lieutenant Yar emerged from it. He paused, shocked by her disheveled appearance, which was the exact opposite of the confident young woman he had met upon her assignment to the Enterprise. _Her confidence has been shaken, Jean-Luc. Not just by the surprise attack, but because of her confrontation with Caine. Her connection to Caine is not all it seems. You must be careful proceeding from here on in,_ warned the Power.

Yar was wearing a worn tracksuit, and appeared ill. She glanced around the bridge with an exhausted but suspicious expression.

She almost walked by him in a daze, but he grabbed her upper arm as she passed by. "Lieutenant Yar," he said through gritted teeth.

She instinctively jerked her arm away, before seeming to recognize him.

She made an attempt at composing herself. "Sir?"

"You look far worse than when I saw you yesterday evening in the gym. You seemed on the mend. What happened to you?"

A name floated through her mind. _Arroyo._ She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. "Um...nothing, sir, I just didn't sleep well, is all."

"I thought we agreed there would be no more lies, Lieutenant."

Yar didn't reply and her expression was unreadable. He could tell she was trying to calm herself, but her anxiety was obvious.

"You _do_ realize what you are about to walk into, don't you?"

"I-I overslept, so I didn't read the message carefully enough, sir. Some kind of hearing-"

"It is a fitness for duty hearing, Lieutenant. And that means you need to get yourself together. Now," he said sternly.

Yar nodded but her confusion was clear. "But sir, I'm due to resume my place on the roster tomorrow."

"Not unless you're cleared, Lieutenant. A word of advice...stay calm, remember who you are, and what Starfleet means to you." He gripped her arms briefly before entering the turbo lift.

She tried to heed his words, but all she heard in her head was Caine, mocking her. ' _Tash, what happened to that killer spirit?_

* * *

Beverly sat down next to T'Sara, who was studying a data pad with a typically serious expression. Before they had entered the conference room they had been quietly discussing Yar. Now, it seemed the Vulcan scientist was uninterested in pursuing the conversation further.

Data opened his mouth to speak when the communications link beeped.

"Go ahead," said Data.

" _Commander, this is Security-Ensign Howell reporting. May I speak freely?"_

"Yes."

" _We have some news about the suspect...about Ensign Arroyo, sir. He's gone missing."_

"What is your location, Ensign?"

" _Deck 36, section A-2."_

"I am on my way," said Data. He stood up to address his colleagues. "The hearing will be postponed for the next fifteen minutes," he said. "Please inform Lieutenant Yar when she arrives."

Beverly nodded, watching as he walked swiftly away.

* * *

Yar stepped in through the opposite door to the conference room a moment later. Despite the Captain's words, her distress was growing. Her distress only increased when she noted that Commander Data was not present, but medical personnel were. _Not these two..._ She halted before regaining some composure. "Good morning," she said, putting her hands behind her back as she halted before the two women.

Beverly smiled up at Yar. "Good morning, Lieutenant." She glanced at T'Sara who continued to study her data pad silently.

If Yar was upset to be slighted by the counselor, she didn't let on. Beverly's smile faltered, as she took in Yar's pallor. She looked unwell. "Have a seat, Yar, Commander Data will be back shortly to begin the hearing."

Yar couldn't bring herself to sit down for some reason. She hadn't expected to see either of these two women, but based on the Captain's warnings, she knew she should have. _Get it together, Tasha,_ she scolded herself. She put her hand on the back of a chair, but still didn't sit down. Trying to calm her agitation she paced away from them. She stood staring out the window into space. _What do they want to know?_

"Yar...Tasha."

Yar whirled around to find Beverly Crusher standing behind her. She was holding a tricorder in her hand. Yar looked nervously at the instrument and back up into the doctor's face. "Yes?"

"You don't look well," Crusher said quietly. "Now, this is a fitness for duty hearing. If you don't let me scan you now, I may be forced to file a report I don't want to."

Yar glanced over the doctor's shoulder at T'Sara, who was still too busy studying her damn reports to take any notice. Suddenly she felt more angry than nervous. She nodded curtly at Crusher who was watching her carefully.

Beverly activated the tricorder, scanning Yar quickly. She looked up in alarm. "You need immediate treatment. The knife wound is infected."

Yar smiled half-heartedly. "Which one?"

This time, Beverly did not smile back. "Is that supposed to be a joke? The wound on your right side sustained before the away team mission. No doubt it's lagging behind the others due to your delay in having it treated." She turned and walked back to the able quickly, reaching underneath for her med-kit. After rummaging around a few moments, she brought out a hypo.

"Here's something for the fever and the infection," she said putting the hypo spray to Yar's neck. She scanned her again. "You have drugs in your system. An analgesic for pain, and an antibiotic." She looked sharply at the young woman. "Honestly, Tasha, you're smart enough to know you have an infection, but completely avoided getting it properly treated!"

Tasha said nothing. Yes, she had stupidly tried to treat it herself. At least it wasn't poison like she had feared. The doctor was right, but it didn't matter. Whatever she needed to do to get back on duty, she would do it. "Yes doctor," she said flatly.

"Yes, doctor, _what_? This is the second time you have deliberately neglected your own health, and I want to know why!"

Yar shook her head. "I don't have a good reason, doctor. But I can tell you, it won't happen again."

Beverly moved closer, causing Yar to take a step backward. "I'm going to let this go, Lieutenant...for the last time. But I'll say this. When someone is trying to help you, the _least_ you can do is tell them the truth." She walked back to the table and slammed the cover of the med kit down, before placing it back under the table.

Yar walked slowly back to the table. The only thing she could think of now was escape. But if she walked out of this room now, she could be discharged from the Fleet. She knew this was a serious matter, and that Crusher was only trying to help her. Her gaze shifted to T'Sara, who had placed her data pad down on the table, and was now looking at her. _Probably writing a scathing report about me in her head right_ now. Yar broke eye contact and paced away again.

"Lieutenant," Doctor Crusher called out in a much kinder tone. "It's going to be a long hearing and you are clearly agitated. Why don't you have some water?" She gestured toward a pitcher that was resting on the table.

Yar blinked, remembering the soothing drink she'd had in Ten Forward late the night before. She walked over to a wall replicator. "Computer, tea please."

 _"Please designate the type of tea, and desired temperature_."

Yar tapped her forehead. What kind had it been? She snapped her fingers, when she remembered. "Tea, Earl Grey...hot," she announced. When the cup of steaming liquid appeared, she picked it up and walked over to the table with it. She didn't realize that Beverly Crusher was staring at her until she had settled into her chair.

* * *

Acting-Captain Data knelt down on the deck next to Ensign Ashley Howell. In front of them, soaked into the carpet was a small spatter of blood. Howell handed him her tricorder. "It's Arroyo's blood sir...it's a match from the corridor where Chief Yar was attacked, and matches his DNA on file. The tricorder dates it back to about 3 this morning."

Data stood up and turned to Geordi LaForge who stood behind them. "Arroyo reported for his shift last night for the first time in a few days after calling out sick," said LaForge. "Looked like he had a broken nose or at least a severely bruised eye. I ordered him to go to sickbay, and report back, but...he never came back."

"We went to arrest him this morning per your orders, sir," said Howell. "He was nowhere to be found, and there was no sign of foul play in his quarters."

Data stared down at the bloodied deck. "Then it would seem that someone else has found Mr. Arroyo."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Data stopped next to the command center and addressed his temporary replacement. "Mr. Hansen, status?"

The officer turned from the captain's chair. "We are currently traveling at warp seven, due to arrive at the coordinates you ordered in six hours, Commander. Still no sign of the Eureka."

Data nodded. "Keep our heading and send out a probe when we reach the designated coordinates. Marco is a known weapons smuggler and is likely to have access to illegal technologies."

"Like a cloaking device, sir?"

"Yes, Lieutenant. Exactly like a cloaking device."

"Aye sir."

* * *

When Data entered the conference room, the three officers present were completely silent. Lieutenant Yar, who had been sipping a cup of tea, put it down on the table and stood up abruptly. He took in her appearance instantly. She was disheveled and appeared somewhat ill, yet was oddly composed. He stored this information, noting that the black clothing fibers that had been found in the corridor near Ensign Arroyo's bloodstain, could have originated from Yar's black tracksuit. On the surface it looked as though they could also have originated from any other piece of black clothing on board the Enterprise. The fibers would, of course be tested, as would Yar's clothing at the earliest opportunity. He had decided for now, not to alert Yar to the fact that she was now a suspect in Arroyo's assault and possibly his death.

"Sir," she said tightly, as he approached, still standing at attention.

"Please be seated, Lieutenant," Data said, sitting down himself.

Yar hesitated, before sitting down again stiffly. She glanced across the table at Doctor Crusher and Counselor T'Sara. _Damn, let's just get this over with._ The tea hadn't helped calm her nerves one bit.

"Lieutenant, the purpose of this meeting is to assess your fitness to return to duty tomorrow morning, first shift," Data said, turning on his computer. He looked at her pointedly. "I have asked Counselor T'Sara and Doctor Crusher to participate and offer their opinions on the matter."

Yar moved to the edge of her seat. "With all due respect, Commander I'm feeling fine," she said.

Crusher sighed, sounding irritated.

Data tilted his head slightly. "I am pleased to learn that you are healing from your injuries, Lieutenant Yar. However, I do require further information."

Yar rubbed her palms nervously on her pant legs. "Yes sir. Whatever you need."

"In your report you indicated that you activated emergency site to site transport from a corridor in the A-2 section of deck 36."

"That's correct, sir."

"Why?"

"As I said in my report sir, I had just been injured and emergency transport seemed like the best option."

"Then _why_ didn't you just transport to sickbay?" Crusher asked pointedly.

"I don't know, Doctor. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Doctor Crusher is correct," said T'Sara. "Your choice of destination was highly illogical for someone so well-trained in Starfleet emergency protocols."

Yar looked up at the ceiling and laughed.

"You find my conclusion amusing," T'Sara observed impassively.

Something flashed in Yar's gaze, and she fixed the counselor with a cynical smile. "Have you ever been stabbed?"

"Are you threatening me, Lieutenant?"

Yar's smile faded and she looked down at the table for a moment, and shook her head. "No," she said, looking up at T'Sara again. "Of course not. But what I'm saying is that when you've been stabbed, _logic_ is the farthest thing from your mind. As I said, I wasn't thinking clearly."

Data nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Let us move on then."

"Commander," insisted T'Sara quietly. "I request permission to continue with this line of questioning. Lieutenant Yar's state of mind is at issue."

Yar took in a sharp breath, and sat back slowly in her chair.

Data looked from T'Sara to Crusher, who appeared to be studying Yar closely, and offered no objection.

"Proceed," said Data.

Yar sat forward intently, hands in front of her on the table. She tried to relax her defensive posture, but her shoulders were clenched tightly. _Stay calm, Tasha. Don't blow it._

"You stated that you were not thinking clearly, Lieutenant," said T'Sara. "However, your actions indicate that your thoughts were quite calculating; such capability is atypical for someone who has just been gravely injured."

Yar stared forward, averting her gaze. "Emergency transport is allowed where there's been an emergency. It's an acceptable protocol," she said quietly. She glanced at Doctor Crusher as subtly as possible. To her surprise, Crusher smiled at her with sincere sympathy. But this only made Tasha's embarrassment grow, as she hated to be pitied.

"Following the transport, your decisions to treat your own wounds, to avoid sick bay, and to proceed with an away team assignment without disclosing your condition to Captain Picard could have compromised the mission...or could have resulted in your death," said T'Sara. "Did that not concern you?"

Yar looked to Data for assistance but found none. "Please answer the question, Lieutenant."

Yar hesitated. "I don't believe my...condition hampered the away team mission, sir."

"Tasha," interjected Beverly gently. "She's asking you about how you felt after the incident."

"I didn't feel anything," said Yar. She didn't know if she sounded sincere or not, but she was telling the truth. She brought her hands beneath the table, and clenched them tightly into fists. Her nerves were getting to her. _I didn't get enough sleep last night. Concentrate, this is your career, Tasha._

"Do you feel anything now?" Crusher asked.

Yar nodded tensely. "Yes. I-I want to get back to my post on the bridge."

Beverly pressed her lips together tightly, shaking her head. "That's not what I mean. You almost lost your life before and during that mission, Tasha. We need to know that you are emotionally and mentally ready to return to duty."

"I am."

Data tapped the table lightly with a stylus. "Lieutenant Yar...do you know who attacked you on deck 36?"

Yar paused and her eyes dropped to the table. _He knows. And he knows I know._ She cleared her throat. "Yes, sir. I believe I do. But I don't understand why."

"Who?" Data prompted.

Beverly looked at Data, and recalled that he had been called away before the briefing by security officer Howell. Did they now have a suspect in custody, or had something else happened?

"Assistant Engineer David Arroyo, sir," said Yar flatly. "I believe he attacked me."

T'Sara sat up straighter in her chair and stared at Yar. "How do you know Mr. Arroyo, Lieutenant?"

Data, who had been entertaining all kinds of theories since discovering that Ensign Arroyo was injured and in danger, held up his hand. "Lieutenant, please do not answer the counselor's question."

Arroyo had been an engineering technician during the period when Captain Picard first returned from the Q Continuum less than six months earlier. Yar, or her previous self was stationed as a Starfleet Intel consultant, and had been present in main Engineering during the Borg invasion. Geordi had recalled seeing her there before he was rendered comatose by a Borg drone who had transported in. According to Arroyo's service record, he had witnessed his friend killed by a Borg drone during that incident, and had suffered emotional difficulties since then. Lieutenant Commander T'Sara had appropriately recommended that he be removed from duty due to her concerns about his mental state, but her report had arrived just after the attack on Yar. There was no reason T'Sara would have noted the connection between Arroyo and Yar, and for that matter, neither would Yar. It was very clear to Data that if Yar learned of the motive for Arroyo's rage, she would begin to question her very existence, which was why he decided the hearing would need to conclude soon.

T'Sara looked with some confusion at Data. "Very well. I will pose a hypothetical question." She turned to Yar, seemingly oblivious to the security chief's angry expression. "Lieutenant, if you are to resume your bridge duties tomorrow, and on the way to your post you observe Ensign Arroyo walking toward you, what will you do?"

"I would take him into custody," said Yar slowly.

"Would you also seek revenge for his attack?"

"No."

Data stood up. "Lieutenant Yar, I am concluding this hearing."

Yar rose to her feet. "Sir...does that mean I can resume my duties tomorrow?"

Data's gaze was steady. "I am afraid not, Lieutenant. I must order you confined to your quarters until further notice."

"Sir!

"Ensign Howell is waiting outside of the ready room and she will escort you to your quarters, Lieutenant. You are dismissed."

* * *

"Data, what's going on?" Beverly demanded once Yar had departed the room.

"Ensign Arroyo is missing," responded the android. "His blood was found near an access way."

"And you didn't want to alert Yar, because you think she harmed him?"

Data addressed both officers. "Is your assessment that it is likely she could have done so?"

Beverly shook her head. "She just admitted she suspected it was Arroyo who stabbed her. If she'd just harmed him in revenge, why be honest about that?"

"I agree with Doctor Crusher. However, I do not believe Yar was truthful about her intentions. If she encounters Arroyo, I would expect further violence."

* * *

"Wondering if you have it in you?" A voice whispered in his ear. Jean-Luc spun from his relaxed stance near the observation window in conference room one, and turned to find Q, wearing an Admiral's uniform.

Picard raised an eyebrow without comment, then spun back around slowly to stare out the view port again. "Nice costume," he murmured.

"Yes...I thought it fitting, Captain, given your strict and _unquestioning_ adherence to Starfleet orders. Apparently, it's the only way to get through to you now."

"I _am_ a Starfleet officer after all," Picard said in a bored tone. "However I doubt my superiors would agree with you as to my adherence to duty."

"No doubt they are as frustrated by your hard-headed nature as I am," said Q.

"Oh, you poor _thing_."

"My attempts to make you think and act like a proper Q entity have been wasted. Why I go through the effort to communicate with you anymore is a mystery to me... and _I'm_ omniscient."

"Omniscient? Hardly. Don't forget who you're talking to, Q. Now what are you doing here on my ship?"

"I can read you, Picard. And you are still conflicted about using your power. These are not the times to equivocate, when your adopted son is carrying the virus to end all viruses across the known universe."

"I am doing what I can to retrieve my son, Q."

"And what would that be exactly? All that is _humanly_ possible?"

"As you pointed out, I'm duty bound to Starfleet. And I've been forbidden to use the Power in the course of my duties unless authorized."

"Starfleet officer!" Q scoffed, then leaned over him peering down, and suddenly Q the admiral appeared much taller than he had a moment ago. " _Tell_ me, Jean-Luc...is that _all_ that you are? Because you are certainly not a Q."

"Fair enough."

" _Fair enough_ , is that your only response?"

"I am a human...who wields the power of the Q."

"Nonsense, there is no such being!"

"Until me...there was no such being until _me,_ Q. It bothers you doesn't it? That the Power _chose_ to be with me, and that despite my initial resistance, it has remained by my side...for the most part."

"And yet you are bound by your ludicrous rules and regulations which prevent you from using that power."

Picard merely stared at his omnipotent friend. "What are you getting at, Q?"

"In order to stop this virus from infecting the known universe, you will need to use your power, Picard. There is no other way."

"Why don't you use _your_ power?"

"The Q cannot intervene."

"Why?"

"We cannot."

"You cannot, or _will_ not?"

"We cannot. That is as much as I will say."

"But _I can_...is that what you're saying?"

"No. What I am saying, is that you _must_ , Jean-Luc. Even at the risk of losing your precious career."

Picard shrugged and walked away, but immediately Q was blocking his path. Jean-Luc recognized the semi-dangerous look in Q's eyes, and knew this was not good. "What will it take, Jean-Luc for me to remind you that your power is second nature to you?"

"You can't dictate when I will or will not use it, Q. And neither can Starfleet. I use it at my _own_ discretion."

Q suddenly reached out and pinched Jean-Luc on the chest. "Ow!" Jean-Luc swatted his hand away.

"What provocation will it take, Picard for you to give in and use your power?"

"You are so childish," said Picard, not backing up soon enough before Q reached out and slapped his face twice quickly. "Ow!"

"If you don't do what needs to be done, Picard, the universe will suffer the consequences."

"For an omnipotent being, you are behaving as though you're helpless, Q. You don't need me or any other lesser species to resolve this crisis, so the only question is what game are you playing?"

Q's eyes narrowed. "How is young Wesley?"

"We've been over this. Stay away from my son."

"Your eyes are glowing just like a Q, Captain. All it took was mention of your offspring. Your primitive emotional state still controls your relationship with the Power. No wonder it left you alone and sulking in the center of a star. And then to add insult to injury, Beverly Crusher rejected your desperate marriage proposal. How disappointing for you."

He felt his chest beginning to glow, and looked down at his clenched fist, which was now glowing white as well. Punching Q through the hull of his ship would have been so satisfying. But slowly he regained his poise and lowered his fist, as the white light dimmed. He couldn't risk an incident, while Nechayev's operatives were on board and no doubt watching for any Q-like outbursts.

Q, who had been looking self-satisfied, noticed the change, and his expression tightened angrily.

Seeing that he had won the moment, Picard smiled up at Q. He realized his smugness was a mistake, when Q waved his hand and released a characteristic white flash of light.

The next moment, Jean-Luc was standing in the middle of the bridge. Data and T'Sara were speaking earnestly but discreetly in the command center, and they and everyone else on the bridge turned to regard his unexpected entrance with alarm. There was an audible gasp around the bridge, and he looked down to find he was clad only in his underwear, which explained why he felt unusually cold. He immediately snapped his fingers, and with another flash was now clothed in his uniform. Realizing that Q had gotten his way, he yanked the hem of his uniform tunic down in one brisk motion, and gave his bridge crew a curt nod. "Sorry about that," he announced before heading for the nearest turbo lift.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

 ** _The Eureka_ deep in Orion Territory**

"I'm at the coordinates we agreed to, Marco," the Ferengi on the screen sneered. "And now where the drel are you?"

Marco pressed his hand into the back of the command chair and glared coolly at the screen. "I had to make a detour and go into stealth mode, Val...you know how it is when the whole galaxy is coveting what you have."

Val looked as though he was about to start drooling. "Where is it? I demand to see it, before we proceed further."

"Val, the deal was I would obtain the jewel...and you would meet me with the map to Eternity. I now have the jewel and you have the map. Nothing has changed."

"Just-just a peek," insisted Val. "I'm dying to see it."

Marco winked. "I get it. The suspense is killing you. Well, you'll have your chance soon enough."

"I can't stay here drifting in space," Val suddenly snarled. "Between the Remans and the pirates out here, I'll be flayed alive."

"Well...my thoughts are with you." Marco gestured to one of his officers, and the screen went black. Clenching his jaw he turned to regard Caine, who was standing silently in the corner. He had already healed from the injuries sustained during his fight with Yar. Caine was known to regenerate faster than anyone he'd ever known. Of course, a heavy dose of drugs always helped, which Caine had never been squeamish about using.

"If you want my opinion, the kid has to die. It's the only way to get your precious jewel out of his little neck," suggested Caine.

"What do you think the kid was talking about? All that stuff about the jewel not wanting to be removed. Maybe he's just losing it."

Caine snorted. "I doubt it...if Seth's anything like his mother, he's _playing_ you Marco."

Marco turned his back and walked away. "If my son needs to be sacrificed for Eternity, then so be it."

* * *

 ** _The Enterprise_**

"Ensign, what's going on? Why am I being sent to my quarters?"

Ashley Howell marched along beside Yar, eyes forward. The young woman hadn't said a word since meeting Yar outside of the ready room. Now as they exited the turbo lift for the officers quarters, she slowed her pace somewhat. "I'm sorry, Chief, I'm under orders not to speak to you about this."

Yar kept her gaze neutral, but her mind was racing. "Is Ensign Arroyo in custody? Is that what this is about? Or is he still on the loose?"

Howell shook her head as they stopped outside Yar's quarters. "I can't say, sir."

Yar nodded coldly and then reached up to hit the door panel as she turned her back on her subordinate. "Fine...be on your way then."

"But..."

Yar looked back over her shoulder. "But, nothing, Howell. You're right, you shouldn't be discussing any of this with me. Now _follow_ the acting-Captain's orders and get back to work."

Howell hesitated, and Yar saw for the first time in Ashley's pained expression that the Ensign's unwavering allegiance to her was perhaps becoming something more than professional. "Chief, if you want some company, I could come back after my shift."

Had she been less disciplined and more sensitive when it came to matters of the heart Yar might have been receptive, or at least more kind with her response, but Howell was her subordinate, and Yar was growing more tense by the second. So she fell back on old habits, and rendered her expression as distant as possible.

"Do I look like I want company?"

"Um...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No problem," Yar responded easily before shutting the door on Howell's embarrassed stammering. Tasha walked into her living room, her anger growing. Arroyo had attacked _her_ , not the other way around, and yet Data was treating her like some kind of wild animal that had to be tamed or caged. What they didn't understand, and what she would rather not reveal was that she had been through much worse before than what an amateur like Arroyo was capable of. She was perfectly capable of carrying out her duties immediately. The Captain would have been on her side. She wanted to speak to him, but he was suspended as well. And she didn't want to intrude on his personal time.

She paced around her quarters anxiously, then did one hundred push ups to try and expend her excess energy. She resumed her pacing, and eventually she slowed and looked at the kitchen table, where a small handheld phaser sat. Her communications panel was beeping, and she walked over, activating the audio. "Yes?"

 _"Lieutenant Yar, this is Counselor T'Sara."_

Yar shut her eyes tightly, thankful that this was not a face to face call. "What do you want?"

 _"Acting-Captain Data has ordered you to undergo counseling prior to resuming duty."_

Yar laughed. "Well, whatever you were trying to do at the hearing this morning, it worked."

 _"I do not know what you are referring to, Lieutenant."_

"You're trying to tank my goddamn career, T'Sara."

 _"I am not familiar with the term 'tank', however-"_

"You were _trying_ to convince Data that I'm reckless and can't be trusted. Seriously, are you trying to ruin my career?"

 _"I am not."_

"Okay...I feel so much better now that we've cleared that up." _If I end this call now, will that actually make things worse for me?_

 _"You find it difficult to take responsibility for your own actions, Lieutenant. Your impulsive nature makes you a risk to yourself and others."_

"So it's my fault I was stabbed? Huh...I hadn't thought of it that way. Is that theory based on logical reasoning, or is that your personal opinion?"

There was a pause. _"It is my professional opinion related to your mental fitness."_

"Right. Well, there's no way in hell I am going to sit down in a room with you and be _counseled_ , whether I'm ordered to or not."

 _"Then you will be relieved to know that you need not choose insubordination. I requested that Data assign another counselor to meet with you, and he agreed."_

* * *

"T'Sara has a conflict of interest? What is it?"

"That information is confidential," said Data, looking at Deanna Troi from across the captain's ready room desk.

"Well it can't be any worse than _mine_ , Data," Troi protested. "Besides, I am on parental leave right now."

"Congratulations on your new baby, Deanna."

"Thank you."

"However, I am afraid I must temporarily reinstate your commission, Counselor. Your expertise is needed."

"And I am afraid I must object, Data...Yar is responsible for Will going off the deep-end! If she hadn't murdered poor Shelby, well...so many things would be different, had Yar not done the things she did. My point is: how can you expect me to be impartial? It's not fair to me, and certainly not fair to Yar."

"Counselor, I have considered your points, however I believe that your experience with Yar in her previous incarnation places you in a unique position to assess her current state of mind."

"Data, I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive her."

"Counselor, were I capable of being surprised, I would be. The Tasha Yar who co-opted the Q Continuum and nearly destroyed the Earth is not the Lieutenant Yar who is now part of our crew. Surely you understand that."

Troi sighed and passed a hand over her eyes. "Yes...I know, you're right. But this won't be easy."

Deanna thought she detected more than a hint of compassion in the android's next words. "Then perhaps interacting with her further will serve to aid not just Yar, but you as well."

* * *

Jean'Luc had just passed Wesley in the hallway, with Marca. The boy had mumbled something about going for a run on the holodeck, as the big dog yanked him down the hall. When he stepped into their shared quarters, Beverly was talking to someone over the comm. He could tell by her gestures that she was both agitated and tired.

 _"We analyzed the rest of Walker Keel's information with our samples, Doctor, and in all honesty we didn't learn anything helpful about this virus."_

"I know, I know I spent the rest of today staring into a microscope myself and got nowhere."

The mention of Walker made Jean-Luc stop in his tracks, and she finally turned halfway noticing he was there. "Oh, listen Felix I have to go."

 _"Right, talk to you later."_

"Walker Keel? What's going on, Beverly?"

"Oh, well Walker contacted me while you were ruminating inside that star, and he informed me he's on his way to try and intercept Marco. We shared what we know about Marco and the virus, and he sent me some files to examine."

"Does Data know about this?"

She nodded with an open expression. "Mm-hmm. Yes, I told him."

"But you didn't tell me," he said flatly.

To his annoyance, she rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Jean-Luc. Let's talk about that later."

"I'm here now," he said. "And you said we needed to talk."

"You said that," she said slowly.

"Yes, but you _agreed_."

She broke into a half smile and stepped forward, taking his hand in hers. Her hand was warm, and it almost made him forget they were supposed to be angry at each other. She frowned and looked him over. "I saw you a few hours ago and you were wearing your civilian clothes. I'm surprised to see you in uniform."

He remembered Q's irritating trick, and smiled as widely as possible, forcing back his anger. "It was better than the alternative."

She looked confused, but also amused. "Okay." She squeezed his hand and pulled him closer. She kissed him, and he felt his desire to talk melting away. She broke away and smiled at him. "So let's talk," she insisted softly, backing toward the bedroom in the least subtle manner possible. She still had a hold of his hand, and he willingly followed.

* * *

Tasha Yar was thinking. Someone had wanted her to know that Arroyo was the assailant, and yet they hadn't wanted her to know much more. The mostly deleted report had been made to appear as though it had been erased due to a corrupted file. But she'd seen evidence of tampering before, and it didn't take a level three science officer to figure out who was responsible.

Issac Chandra, her second in command had been in charge of the engineering investigation, and she was certain he had been in the security control room with her at midnight the previous morning. He had denied it, but she knew he had an intelligence background, and considerable skills with technical sabotage. She remembered also that Chandra had gone to join Will Riker and another member of the Eureka away team outside of a holodeck. All three men had seemed strange at the time, but Yar had also been feverish. It occurred to her then that Chandra was still infected...as was Riker. She began typing a message into the terminal then. It was addressed to Captain Picard, and she hoped that he would receive it in time.

"Computer, where is Isaac Chandra?"

 _Isaac Chandra is currently moving at a pace of 8 kilometers per hour in the starboard nacelle tube, deck 25._

Alarmed, Yar said, "Get me a visual on his movements." She leaned into the panel, as it showed a nondescript figure jogging along a catwalk, which the schematic identified as Chandra, as he was wearing his badge. But there was also a second figure, running ahead of Chandra.

"Computer, identify the person running several meters ahead of Mr. Chandra."

 _Unable to identify, except to confirm a male humanoid 11.2 meters from Isaac Chandra. The unidentified person's vital signs suggest he is injured._

Arroyo.

Yar rushed past the table, grabbing the small phaser and dropping it into the pocket of her track suit. She only picked up the pace as she slipped out the door.

* * *

"Jean-Luc, we need to get our codes straight," Beverly said drowsily. She rested her head on his shoulder.

He opened one eye, and grasped her hand lightly, stopping it's motion on his stomach. "What codes?" he murmured.

"When you said earlier that you wanted to talk, I may have made some assumptions about what you meant."

He began to laugh silently. "Oh, so talking means..."

She got free of his hand and traced her fingers over his belly button. "It does now," she said and kissed him on his neck.

"Well, you'll have no argument from me," he said, closing his eyes again with a smile as her hand traveled lower. He felt his chest beginning to glow again. There was a time when it had been unnerving for Beverly to see him glowing every time they made love, but she had since mentioned more than once that she no longer minded.

"Good." She settled her head back down and sighed. He felt her eyelash flutter against his skin, and pulled her closer.

To his dismay, she grew still and withdrew her hand from beneath the covers, and pulled the sheet around her chin before settling down quietly. Although her eyes faced away from him, he knew she was still awake and alert. In fact, he could almost hear her thinking. "Beverly...do you want to talk?

"Hmm? No, I'm talked out for now, maybe later."

"No, I mean _talk_ -talk."

"Oh." She shrugged. "I was just happy to have a little while with you, just being together and not having to feel so badly about Seth. Now all of those thoughts are flooding back into my mind."

"What thoughts?"

"We're his parents, and we should have protected him. I know you tried your best, but I feel like we failed him."

"I should have used my power back in sick bay," he said distantly. "I should have done away with the virus then and there."

"And I should have let you," she admitted. "I was so afraid that your secret would be out, and that you would become some kind of lab subject. And now the whole crew knows..."

"Especially the bridge crew," he muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Oh...nothing."

Beverly, pushed herself up to a sitting position. He reached up and grazed his hand over her bare shoulder, but he could see the mood had shifted too far. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I have to get back to the lab. I've decided I'm going to gather everyone from the away team and scan them again. This virus is unlike anything I've ever seen, and if I am right it has the capability of avoiding detection even when active."

He smoothed his hand down her back as she moved to get out of bed. "I'll miss you," he said.

She laughed and grabbed a towel, heading for the bathroom. "I'm not sure you're ready to go back to work. The old Jean-Luc never would have been able to stand even a two day suspension."

The mention of his suspension made his skin grow cold. _Damn._ Someone would report to Nechayev what happened on the bridge and he would have to answer for it. He let his head fall back heavily into the pillow. Damn that Q. He opened his eyes when he heard the com link beeping. _"Data to Picard."_

"Picard here. Yes, Data?"

" _Please report to deck 25 at once. And bring a radiation suit."_

* * *

 **Thanks, guys...have a great weekend. -PP**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

* * *

Beverly was still in the shower, but he couldn't delay. He slipped on a pair of underwear and replicated himself a standard radiation suit. Pulling the suit on quickly, he grabbed for his communicator and attached it to the shimmering material. Tapping the badge he said, "Picard to Data."

 _"Data here,"_ was the immediate reply. He was certain he could hear the red alert in the background.

"Talk to me, Data. What's happening?"

" _Captain I have temporarily reinstated you to duty due to exigent circumstances. We have reached the coordinates last registered by the Eureka prior to its disappearance from sensors, and it appears Marco has left us a trap."_

"What? Are we under attack?"

" _Yes, Captain. Orion pirates, who claim an allegiance to Marco and what they describe as the 'Jewel of Mayhem'."_

Picard rushed out the door and saw that the corridor was bathed in red emergency lighting. "And you want me on deck 25? What's happened?"

 _"Ensign Chandra has entered the starboard nacelle tube, and has sabotaged the access entryway."_

 _Well that explains the need for a radiation suit._ "Why?" Picard jumped into a turbo lift. "Deck 25," he shouted and the lift began to descend.

"We believe that Chandra is pursuing Ensign Arroyo, who we believe attacked Lieutenant Yar prior to the away mission. Chandra's other motives are unclear, but he should be approached with extreme caution."

"So security can't get it in right now," Picard said running off the turbo lift as it halted.

" _Yes, Captain, you will need to use your command access codes to override the seal if possible. Firing upon the door could cause an explosion."_

"Understood, I'm on my way...and good luck Data."

 _"You as well, Captain."_

* * *

Beverly stepped out of the bathroom, still toweling off her hair. "I really enjoyed our talk, Jean-Luc," she called out. "Your communication skills seem to improve each time. It makes me sad that we missed so many years of this kind of conversation."

She laughed and walked into the bedroom, where the lights were dimmed. She moved to her dresser. "You know...we both said some things about marriage a few days ago. And I have to be honest with you, as crazy as things are right now, I like the way we are." She began to slip on her clothes. "I guess what I'm saying is that I was kind of testing you when I asked you to marry me. I know it wasn't fair, but I guess I'm still a little jealous of your connection to the power. But I recognize that it's a part of you, and I don't want you to have to give it up for anything. Not even me. So can we agree, no more talk about marriage for now?" She smoothed out her hair briefly in the mirror before turning and walking toward the bed.

"Jean-Luc, are you awake?" She stared at the bed in confusion, which she only now realized was empty. "Jean-Luc," she called out again in case he was in the other room. _Uh oh._ She heard a beeping coming from the living room, and she walked to the communications panel. It was a priority message from Yar. She tapped the screen, to view the typed message.

 _"Captain, I hope you receive this message. I have reason to believe that my second in command Isaac Chandra, Commander Riker and engineering technician Sanchez are all infected by Marco's virus. I recommend they be quarantined in sick bay as soon as possible. And sir, I hope you understand I never wanted you to be disappointed in me. Tasha Yar."_

Beverly backed away from the panel, still letting Yar's warning soak in. "Crusher to Doctor Farmer."

 _"Farmer here,"_ came Felix's unworried voice.

"Let's coordinate with security and get Will Riker and all members of the Eureka away team into quarantine, as well as any friends or family members. I want Wesley quarantined as well, he should be on holodeck 3 with Marca, and for safety's sake bring her in too. As far as Yar goes, my understanding was that she was confined to quarters, but my guess is that's no longer the case..."

 _"Understood. What about the Captain?"_

"I have no doubt that he's with Lieutenant Yar. I'll see you in sick bay in ten minutes."

* * *

Ashley Howell banged on the door, again, peering through the small window. She couldn't see anything with the emergency lights on. The ship shook with an explosion, as if the red alert had not already confirmed the ship was in trouble. "Sir!" She shouted again, hearing footsteps moving away from the door at a quick pace. She struggled to pull on her environmental suit.

Just then, Captain Picard appeared, breathless and rushing toward her. "Ensign, report!"

"Captain, she's gone in with just an oxygen mask, but the radiation levels are too high. I tried to stop her, but-"

Picard grabbed the young woman by the shoulders. "Howell, get yourself under control. Now what happened?"

The ensign's eyes had filled with tears, but she blinked them away, trying to take his instruction. "Lieutenant Yar, sir. She's gone after Chandra!"

"How the hell did she get in?"

"She had an access code sir. Chandra tried to sabotage the door, but she was able to get through."

Picard grabbed a helmet from one of the lockers nearby, and pulled it over his head. "What does Chandra intend on doing?"

"I don't know sir, but he's chasing Arroyo."

"Damn." Picard began to examine the door. "She hasn't locked it... good. That means she wants our help." He nodded at Howell. "Finish getting your suit on, we're going after them."

* * *

Yar ran down the catwalk, careful not to look downward, as it was a long drop. She had seen a glimpse of Chandra, but nothing now. If he was chasing Arroyo, they had to be much farther along than she was. She periodically took a long pull from the oxygen mask she held in her hand, but within minutes, she knew she had made a possibly irreversible mistake. The radiation levels were staggering, as she could see from the meters spaced along the wall.

She continued to jog, when suddenly she felt so short of breath and fatigued that she had to stop. She planted the mask over her face, and took in slow deep breaths. Her right side ached, and she cradled it as she bent over to catch her breath. Suddenly up ahead there was a clanging sound, and she straightened. A figure of a man was crouching up ahead, looking around him wildly. Still, Isaac Chandra was nowhere to be found.

"Arroyo!"

The man spun around in shock. His face was sallow and sickly, and it contorted when he realized who she was. "You!" He accused hoarsely. "You murderer."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Arroyo. But I _do_ want to know why you stabbed me. Let's figure this out now, before we both die of radiation poisoning."

"Or what? Or you'll kill me?"

Yar slowed her walk. "No...I won't kill you. But you're damn sure going to tell me why you tried to kill _me_."

"I just told you!" He screamed. "You killed my friend, and now you're going to kill us all. I know that's your plan." Arroyo suddenly gagged and vomited over the side of the walkway.

"You're talking nonsense. I don't even know who you are. It's the radiation sickness," she said. She tried to ignore the fact that he sounded totally convinced by his own reasoning. "I'm taking you into custody and we're getting out of here."

Arroyo recovered and limped over to a large energy filled basin, staring down into it.

"Get away from that plasma chamber, we're too close as it is!" Yar warned him.

"You act like you want to help me...but you're a murderer. Picard let you kill all those people, and-and then he brought you back on board? Everyone acts like he's some kind of hero returned from the dead, but I know better. Picard's a sick bastard who doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself."

Yar took a strong step forward, feeling her anger re-surge again, giving her false energy, even as her body felt as if it was beginning to shut down. "Shut up! Don't you dare talk about the Captain like that. You're the one who's sick."

Arroyo turned back slowly and she could see now that he'd been shot in the leg. "Who did that to you?" Yar demanded, taking another step forward. "Was it Chandra? Tell me, and I can protect you."

Arroyo laughed. "Protect me? You selfish bitch. You're a murderer and I'll never trust you."

Yar tried to ignore his words, but he was obviously convinced that they were true. Had she killed his friend? Maybe. She felt her mind slipping into a delirium, and she began to shiver despite the blistering heat. She had to get Arroyo and get out of here.

She pulled her phaser out of her pocket and gestured at the man in front of her. "Move away from there, David, I'm taking you into custody."

"Go ahead...you fire that weapon and we're both dead." He backed against the railing, and she decided then that hesitation would only kill them both quicker, and she ran toward Arroyo, tackling him to the metal flooring. He struggled underneath her, but she punched him once in the face, then again. He clawed upward at her desperately.

"I'll kill you," he shrieked. "Get off of me, or I will kill you!"

She slammed him onto the deck roughly, and held the phaser to his neck, as adrenaline and fury surged through her. "Is this what you are looking for? A way out? Is this what you want?"

He spit at her, and she pushed herself off of him, staggering to her feet. She couldn't go down this road. She had to do things the right way, not the old way, or the Captain would never forgive her. She put the phaser back in her pocket and just stared at Arroyo who continued to mock her nonsensically. Suddenly he scrambled to his feet and ran past the plasma chamber.

* * *

"No!" she shouted. That was when she saw Chandra step out of the shadows, grabbing Arroyo around his neck with one hand, as Arroyo was slowly forced to his knees. Chandra was clearly very strong, and unaffected by the radiation energy.

Chandra lifted his head and smiled eerily when he saw Yar. "You must kill Caine. You are the one. Caine's in the way...you must kill him."

"What?!"

"You must kill Caine. You are the one. Caine's in the way...you must kill him," Isaac repeated in a strange voice.

"Enough!" She shouted, pulling her phaser. "Let him go."

Chandra did not even glance down at Arroyo, who seemed immobilized. "No, you will listen."

"Then explain what you mean."

"We're going to the home of the white light. When we arrive we will meet Eternity." Chandra's smile widened. "You know the white light, don't you, Yar?"

A chill ran through her body. "Who am I talking to? You're not Chandra, that's for certain."

A green light shimmered in Chandra's pupils. "We are many. Chandra has served his purpose, but he is just one. We are many. You will help us at the end of our journey."

"I won't help you...I'll stop you."

"No, you must kill Caine. It is the only way we will survive and spread through the galaxy."

"And then what? Once you've spread throughout the galaxy. What's the point?"

"We are collecting on a long held promise."

Yar shook her head. "I don't understand."

"You will. You are the one from the prophecy."

"What's so important about Caine?"

"At first we were suspicious of him because he didn't want what we wanted. He is impervious to our effects. And now we know why."

"Why?"

"All of the reasons should not matter to you. You want to kill Caine anyway. We have seen the look in your eyes. You will fulfill the prophecy."

Yar shook her head again, trying to clear the dizziness from her mind. "Please...I don't know what you're doing with Arroyo, but you're going to break his neck. If you want my help, let him go."

"He is in the way, just like Caine. Arroyo would expose you with his insane ramblings. He must die."

"This man Chandra who we inhabit...he knows many secrets about you, Yar. Secrets which we now know...and which confirm what we know to be true about you. We will sacrifice his life...to protect you. You are the one."

Yar turned at the sound of footsteps as Captain Picard and Ashley Howell arrived behind her. They were wearing environmental suits. Just her relief at seeing them caused something in her to give in to her physical weakness caused by radiation sickness. She fell to her knees. "Captain..."

Picard and Howell ran to her side. "Chandra! Get away from there," Picard shouted, breaking into a run toward the swirling plasma chamber.

Chandra ignored him, pointing at Yar. "When you reach the home of the white light, you must fulfill the prophecy," he said one last time before tossing Arroyo effortlessly into the ring of plasma. Still smiling, Chandra climbed on top of the railing and followed Arroyo down, disintegrating into nothingness.

Picard knelt next to the unconscious Yar, and looked up at Howell who was stunned. "Is she going to make it?" Howell asked in a small but hopeful voice.

Had Howell not been with him, he might have been able to use his power without anyone knowing. But now, he would have to do this the hard way. "I don't know...grab her feet, I'll get her torso. Come on hurry! Picard to sick bay. Three for emergency transport!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

* * *

 _ **The Eureka**_

Marco stepped into the darkened room with Caine just behind him. He felt conflicted, but not for the reasons you might expect, given that he was currently keeping his biological son prisoner on his ship. Seth had been quietly resting on a bed for the last few hours, following another unsuccessful attempt by Marco and Caine to surgically remove the Jewel from the boy's neck. Caine had later suggested Marco kill Seth, but a voice in his mind, one that had been growing in influence for days now, told him that the Jewel must remain inside the boy for the remainder of the journey. If the Jewel was removed too soon it may be damaged and his chances of reaching Eternity would be lost.

He pulled the knife and stood next to Seth's bed. The boy's eyes were shut and he appeared to be asleep. He saw Caine's single eye glimmering across from him in the dim light, and the voice inside him became louder. _Caine is the enemy, not this boy. This child will protect me until we reach the Waters of Eternity. Only then can the boy be discarded. Do not disobey, Marco, or you will suffer the worst fate imaginable. Caine is the enemy, and you must be wary of him, but keep him close until you are instructed otherwise. He must be led to believe you still consider him an ally._

Convinced by the mysterious words in his mind, Marco obediently put the knife away. Caine began to laugh slowly as he watched Marco. "Very interesting." He continued to laugh as he turned and walked back out the door.

* * *

 _ **The Enterprise**_

As they materialized in sickbay, the ship was hit and the deck shook beneath them, reminding everyone that they were in the middle of a battle. Medical staff were rushing around gathering emergency supplies, and so Picard and Howell carried Tasha's limp frame over immediately to a biobed, as the medics rushed over. Beverly approached from the other direction. "Beam all three of them into isolation immediately. They just transported from an area swimming with radiation."

Picard pulled of his helmet with a hiss. "We're fine, it's Yar who needs assistance. Besides, I need to get to the bridge."

"But right now you're in my sick bay." Beverly looked him up and down quickly, and then pointed at Alyssa Ogawa. "The transporter may have taken care of any radiation on their suits, but scan the captain and Ensign Howell in isolation and then you may release them once they've checked out. Beam Lieutenant Yar to critical care."

"Yes, doctor," said Ogawa.

Picard was about to protest again when the transporter beam enveloped him.

* * *

Picard materialized in a small bright room. Through a window he could see Ashley Howell standing sadly in the center of an identical room next door. He gave her a smile in solidarity. Like him, she was waiting for the medical personnel to arrive, and like him, her thoughts were probably on Yar. Picard knew that his Security Chief may not survive, and so he had a choice to make. He had been reinstated to duty, and part of him wanted to run up to the bridge. But Data had only reinstated him to assist with the Chandra situation, and the truth was, Data could handle the situation.

His thoughts flashed back to Chandra's last words before jumping to his death. He had attempted in that moment to read Chandra's mind, with only minimal success. But he didn't have to know everything to begin to put the pieces together. Q had been hiding information. Information which could change everything, and spell the difference between life and death.

The home world of the Q was known to have existed, of course, but during his eleven years as a Q, its location and full history had been carefully hidden from him. Now, it appeared that the virus intended to travel to that world, and because of the nature of the Enterprise mission, he would be taking his crew, and his family there as well. Had the virus originated from the Q home world, that world which when he closed his eyes appeared as a lush an beautiful tropical planet? Possibly, but his focus now was how Yar was somehow implicated in the alien virus's plan, and how long Q had known about it. Who exactly was Caine? His assumption had been that Caine and Marco were partners, or that Caine had been Marco's second in command. But if Chandra was to be believed, he had been very wrong.

 _"When were you going to tell me all of this?"_ He demanded of the Power.

 _You already knew, when you discovered the location of our home world, Jean-Luc while sulking on Beverly's couch. As your mission continues, everything will become clearer to you._

 _"It would help me more, to know now."_

 _Why?_

 _"Because I want to find my son."_

 _Seth will remain safe for now._

 _"Marco will kill Seth, I know he will, just to get what he wants."_

Seth is not helpless. _Marco is blinded by a disease which has controlled his mind since he was a young human. But he is merely the vehicle by which this virus has been able to prepare for its desired destiny. The true leader of this sentient race resides in Seth's body where it was placed by Marco when Seth was an infant. The leader will not allow itself to be harmed during the journey to its destination._

 _"And yet Marco believes this tiny capsule is something of value. Just as the Orion pirates currently attacking my ship believe it to be a jewel. This is what Nechayev hinted to me."_

 _Yes, these viral entities have great capacity for mind control. Whole species can be convinced to accept their influence in exchange for assurances that their greatest hopes and dreams will come true._

 _"And the Remans..."_

 _And the Ferengi, the list goes on and on, Jean-Luc._

 _"What do they hope to accomplish by traveling to the Q home world? Before he killed himself, Chandra claimed that Yar would fulfill some supposed prophecy by killing Caine."_

 _Oh, Caine must not be killed. That must not happen, not by Yar's or anyone else's hand!_

 _"Yar may die. Why would these beings lure her nearly to her death only to reveal she must fulfill some kind of prophecy? It makes no sense."_

 _Perhaps the crewman Arroyo's attack on Yar was a variable they had not considered. They had to adjust their plans._

 _"And nearly killed her doing so."_

 _Yar is not meant to die. Not yet._

 _"What does that mean?"_

 _You express surprise at such a concept, and yet just minutes ago you decided to save her life._

 _"Beverly is a wonderful physician, but even she has limits. Yar's immune system was weakened. Her death would be senseless and I will not allow it to happen."  
_

 _Have you considered that these beings have anticipated for some time that you would adopt such an approach?_

 _"So they are relying on me to use the Power...or rather, you ... to keep her alive so that she can eventually kill Caine. Well they picked the perfect weapon, because, my friend that is exactly what she intends to do. I have absolutely seen the intent in her eyes. She tells me she will follow the codes of Starfleet, but I would not trust her in Caine's presence again."_

 _Yar must survive, but she must not kill Caine._

 _"Why not?"_

 _We...are not sure._

 _"The fact that there is something you don't know, frightens me,"_ he admitted.

 _Good. Even we are fallible, which is important for you to remember, Jean-Luc._

 _"But she wants to kill him, don't you see? He murdered her parents when she was a child. With her temperament and violent upbringing, revenge is practically a foregone conclusion."_

 _And yet it must not happen._

 _"How do I prevent what I am beginning to believe is inevitable?"_

 _Your role is not to use us to interfere with Tasha Yar's destiny, whatever that may be. To attempt to do so more than you have already, could achieve results the opposite of what you intend._

 _"What is my role then? Aside from keeping her alive at the moment..."_

 _To be her friend._

He let that sink in for a moment _._

 _"The old Jean-Luc would never have crossed that line. He was the consummate professional."_

 _And you are no longer him?_

 _"I...don't know. At times, yes..."_

 _Q can be deceitful. That is his nature, which is neither good nor bad in our opinion. However he was truthful when he told you that some of your attributes were transferred to Yar when you resurrected her in this reality._

 _"So my positive influence will have to do, is what you're saying?"_

 _Yes._

 _"So...what is the source of this prophecy? I need to know this."_

 _It is not our place to reveal this to you. But Q knows...oh yes, he knows._

* * *

"Q!" Picard pulled his hands furiously through his hair, as his silent conversation was interrupted by his own outburst. He had come to expect that the Power would only share so much with him, particularly when he allowed his anger to overcome his reason. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Howell was watching him with a frightened expression. He had been speaking silently with the Power, but who knows what strange facial expressions he had been making.

"Sir?" the young woman asked cautiously. Of course, she had been on the away mission and witnessed his futile attempts to stop Marco from stealing Seth away from him. She had seen his flagrant and foolish use of the Power, and yet, he did not sense that she was mistrustful or suspicious of him. Surprisingly that made him feel good. He noted for the first time, that she was quite pretty with a perpetually thoughtful expression. She tucked her shoulder-length sandy hair behind one ear and looked on with obvious concern. "You okay?"

He smiled at her apologetically. "Oh...more or less."

She nodded and hugged her upper body, possibly trying to comfort herself. "Sir...do you think the Chief is going to make it?"

Jean-Luc considered how he would have responded to such a sincerely hopeful question before his years with the Q. Most likely he would have said something awkward, so he decided to respond similarly now. Thankfully, Data intervened.

 _"Data to Captain Picard."_

He fumbled for his communicator on the outside of his bulky environmental suit. "Picard here."

 _"Captain, the Orion ships have departed the sector. We have sustained minimal damage and no casualties."_

"Good to hear. A diversion set up by Marco?"

 _"Very likely, sir. The Orion ships slowed us down momentarily, however, we have resumed our search for the Eureka and have picked up a promising signal."_

"Excellent, Mr. Data."

 _"What is your status, Captain?"_

"I'm here in sick bay with Ensign Howell." He glanced at the young woman, who was now being attended to by a nurse. "Isaac Chandra murdered Ensign Arroyo before killing himself in the nacelle tube."

 _"That is unfortunate."_

"Yes. And Yar was subjected to a very heavy dose of radiation."

There was a pause. _"Lieutenant Yar left her quarters?"_

"Yes...it's a long story. Data, combined with her previous injuries, it doesn't look good."

He felt Ashley Howell watching him, and he lowered his voice, turning away. "She's in critical care."

 _"I see."_

"I would be happy to brief you further, as soon as I am cleared here in medical."

 _"Captain...Admiral Nechayev is demanding an update on your status to return to duty."_

Picard sighed. Chandra had been Nechayev's spy, sent initially to keep an eye on Yar for Starfleet Intel. He would be curious to see her reaction to Chandra's untimely and dramatic demise. "Do what you need to, Mr. Data. I will wait to hear from you. I'll consider myself back on suspension in the meantime."

 _"Yes, Captain."_

He glanced up with relief as the nurse entered the room.

"Hello, Captain. Doctor Crusher asked me to have you report directly to her after we're done here. Also, she said you would need these," said the nurse, handing over a carefully folded red and black uniform.

He smiled, as he accepted the bundle, remembering he was wearing very little underneath his radiation suit. "She thinks of everything."

* * *

 _ **Several sectors away on a Small Diplomatic Vessel**_

"Walker!" Jack Crusher moved from his position behind Riggs, the helmsman to wave his friend over. "Whatever we were supposed to be looking for, it's not here," he said pointing at the small view screen.

Walker leaned in to get a better look. "Finn said there would be a planet inside a nebula..."

"We've got the nebula dead ahead now sir, but no planets at all," the pilot confirmed.

Walker swore, and straightened, giving Jack a worried expression. "Looks like I've been played."

Jack pointed at Keel. "Walker, I told you we should have joined up with the Enterprise instead of trying to race Marco to some supposed alien home world. It's no wonder Marco's ship has been off our sensors the whole time, we probably haven't even come close to whatever route he's on. You're damn right, you got played."

"Why would Finn lead us on a wild goose chase when he wants to rejoin his people? He wants to get home..."

All of a sudden the computer began to blare a perimeter alert, and the helmsman's view screen was beeping. On the screen, three glowing triangular objects emerged from the nebula and headed straight for their ship.

"Shields up!" Jack and Walker shouted at the same time, just as the small but quick spacecraft began firing bolts of energy.

"Returning fire, sir," the pilot shouted, just as a grinding sound could be heard, jolting the ship, and throwing off their balance.

"We're being boarded," Jack shouted, and Walker grabbed a phaser, as three swirling bodies shimmered into view in the middle of the cramped bridge.

The beautiful green-skinned woman hardly waited for her molecules to solidify before she was in motion. She leveled a large disruptor at the tiny three man crew. "I am Samla," she said in a surprisingly friendly voice. She gestured behind her at two very tall and sinister looking Orion males. "These are Sam and La. My little brothers."

Jack and Walker glanced at each other briefly. "Ah...what do you want," Walker said, keeping the phaser trained on the Orions.

Samla gestured at Riggs. "You fly this ship...what else do you fly?"

Riggs got up slowly from his seat. "I can fly whatever kind of ship I need to," he said, unsure of what the alien woman was getting at.

"Good. Marco needs a good small craft pilot." She nodded at Sam, who stepped forward and stuck a small stun beam into Riggs' shoulder. The man went limp immediately, and Sam caught him, lifting him up in his arms effortlessly.

Samla pointed at La, who was studying a tricorder-like instrument. "Did you find him yet?"

Samla's brother nodded. "Yes. Got a lock on 'im. Beaming him over to your fighter right now."

Samla grinned. "Good. We'll be on our way then."

"Find who?" Jack demanded. "Now put our pilot down and get the hell off of my ship."

Samla appeared amused. " _Your_ ship? You are lucky we don't take this ship and strip it for parts while shooting you out of an airlock. We Orions really do things like that you know. It's not just a stereotype." She looked around disdainfully. "But this ship isn't really worth too much, I can tell." She nodded up at her brother Sam. "Take the pilot back with us. Marco can use him eventually."

"Wait!" Walker moved aggressively toward the Orion who was holding the unconscious Riggs, but Samla pushed the barrel of the disruptor into his chest.

"Listen, White Hair...you and your chubby friend-"

"Chubby?" Jack protested indignantly.

She turned back to Walker undeterred. "You and your _chubby_ friend here are going to stay on board this so-called ship and wait for the Enterprise to arrive. and when it does, you are going to tell Picard that Tasha Yar can be peacefully exchanged for his son...but when and only when Marco decides the time is right. The Enterprise may follow the Eureka, but you may not attempt to retrieve Seth, or the consequences will be severe."

"And Finn..."

"If you refer to the one you were keeping locked up in your brig, yes, he is one of our kin. We have known for some time that he was on his way here. And we are taking him with us to Eternity."

She waved at La. "Tie them up, and set off the distress signal. Oh," she said with a sweet smile. "Please tell Will Riker I have missed him."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

* * *

Beverly smiled with relief as he approached, which resulted in him smiling back, despite his somber and introspective mood. He almost reached out to embrace her in the midst of the whole sickbay, but her face turned serious. "Jean-Luc...Yar's body is beginning to shut down. Her heart in particular is weakening."

"Is she going to die?"

Beverly shook her head. "I don't know. Her immune system was very weak from infection and her injuries were still healing when she was exposed to a very dangerous dose of radiation. The blood transfusion was successful, but the damage to her organs was extensive. There's only so much I can do..." She gestured over her shoulder. "Come with me. I think you should check in on her."

He followed her wordlessly down a bright but empty hall. Once outside of the recovery room she glanced back down the hall to confirm that they were alone, before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him slowly before pulling back to look at him. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

He nodded and kissed her again. "Yes," he said, keeping his eyes closed.

"What happened?" she asked, touching the side of his face.

He sighed, letting go of her reluctantly. "A very strange confrontation, with even stranger declarations being made by this virus that was apparently inhabiting Isaac Chandra. Yar went after him...and paid the price."

Beverly grasped his hand, looking down at the floor. "Have you considered..."

"Yes, I have considered using the Power," he said giving her hand a squeeze.

She raised her eyes to look into his. "You're off duty right now...so no one needs to know you used it."

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Let's go inside."

* * *

When they entered the room, Deanna was standing beside the bed, and she turned to look at them briefly before returning her attention to the unconscious figure.

Jean-Luc frowned, glancing at Beverly. "What is Troi doing here?" He asked quietly.

"Will, Wesley, and the others were brought in for examination and quarantine after Yar sent you a message. I read it, thinking it would give me some clues as to where you had escaped to."

"No, I never received it." He shook his head, quite confused. "Wesley? But I cured them all while we were on the Eureka."

"I know...Wesley is fine. In fact, the virus isn't showing up in _any_ of them, despite Yar's warning. Aside from Will Riker acting strangely, we don't have any reason to keep them in sickbay, and surely that isn't enough."

"Well she _was_ right about Isaac Chandra...he was infected without a doubt."

"It's possible that the entities jump from person to person depending on their needs. Walker's information suggested this as well."

"Interesting that Yar knew. Perhaps it was related to Chandra's pursuit of Arroyo, something she had a clear interest in, given her near death experience."

"Well, I just assumed you got the message and went to find Yar. You disappeared in a very Q-like manner from my bed."

"Ah..yes, well Data called me while you were in the shower, and told me Ensign Chandra had breached and then sealed off a restricted area in the starboard nacelle. Of course, we were under attack at the time. He needed me to use my command override codes, but when I arrived, Howell was there -"

"Ashley Howell has been cleared by the way. No virus, and no radiation sickness. However, she is clearly devastated by what happened to Yar, and it took a lot of convincing to get her to leave," said Beverly.

"No doubt she feels she somehow failed to prevent Yar from chasing down Chandra."

Beverly raised an eyebrow. "No, I think it's something more than that, Jean-Luc."

He stared at her with a blank expression.

Beverly sighed tiredly. "Well, anyway, I asked T'Sara to speak with Howell before she resumes her duties. I don't know if you know this, but Yar was required to undergo counseling before returning to duty, and had been ordered to remain in her quarters. Of course, she didn't bother to listen which is why she's now in this situation, fighting for her life!" She rubbed her forehead. "I mean honestly, what was she thinking?"

"She was thinking that...she wanted to stop Chandra from sabotaging the ship. She believed it was her responsibility alone..." Deanna trailed off, staring down at Yar with concentration.

"Sounds like someone else I know," Beverly murmured as Jean Luc left her side.

Picard walked to Deanna and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked tired and worried. "Thank you, Deanna...it's good of you to do this."

Deanna looked at him, and her usually open expression seemed pinched instead. "Data ordered me to provide her with counseling sessions, and I was here to check on Will anyway, so I decided to come and see her. I have to admit, it's difficult to remain angry with someone when they are so ill. Strangely enough, this is the first time ever that I have been able to clearly sense her thoughts. She is such a guarded person."

"But... she is fighting to survive, then."

"Captain, I am not sure she wants to live," said Deanna, shaking her head. "She blames herself for Ensign Arroyo's death. And after this...revelation by Chandra, she is not sure who she is and she is afraid of what she might become. That may be why she does not want to come back from the edge of death."

He rubbed his chin and glanced back at Beverly. "She has reason to be afraid," he said, returning his gaze to Yar as he remembered Chandra's last thoughts and words. "But I never would have considered that she would give up so easily."

She turned her head to look at him directly. " _Easy?_ Captain, she has been fighting for her entire life. She's very tired, although she will never admit it. And she's very lonely. Her career has become the most important thing to her only because she has had just one person to rely on all these years..."

"Who?"

"...Gilda..." Troi blinked. "Yes, the woman who rescued her from Turkana. The only person who she really loved...until she met you."

He looked at her sideways, and could feel her inquisitive gaze, but said nothing.

Deanna gripped his arm forcing him to look into her eyes. "You are her family now, Jean-Luc, whether you like it or not."

Beverly had moved to the bedside monitor and was checking Yar's vital signs with a grim expression. The three officers stared down at the motionless young woman, who had only recently looked healthy and strong. Her skin was now extremely pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. "I'm going to need to give her another transfusion," she said, beginning the process.

 _Perhaps you should all ask yourselves why you are trying so very hard to keep Tasha Yar from dying._

Q's "natural" star-like form now floated above Yar's body.

"Get out of here, Q! I'll deal with you later," Picard shouted.

 _Oh you will, will you? Well, I won't allow you to gamble with the fate of the universe any longer, when it comes to this wild card of a human being, Jean-Luc._

"You can't kill her, Q, or you will be tossed out of the Continuum. Forever."

 _I can't kill her, but I can certainly prevent **you** from intervening and saving her life._

Q flashed into the humanoid form he had tended to favor more and more late. "You're not got to get rid of me so easy, this time, Jean -Luc. Not until I learn your true intentions."

"It should be obvious...I have to save this woman's life."

"To what end? " Q turned his focus to Beverly and Deanna. "You do realize that he is blinded by his own arrogance, don't you? That only trouble can come from saving her life?"

" You do realize that you're talking to a doctor, don't you? " Beverly argued back. "It happens to be my job to save her life."

" No matter how you feel about her? "

Beverly nodded. "Of course."

"Lieutenant Yar is completely loyal to Captain Picard, possibly to the point of self sacrifice. And I sense no real malevolence by Yar toward this crew, Q ," said Troi. "She certainly feels out of place, but she doesn't intend us harm."

"Not yet," Q warned. "But mark my words, that will change."

Picard crossed his arms. "By all means, tell us why we are wrong."

Q pointed at Yar. "Eventually she will be faced with choices, Jean-Luc. I know you know this, so why do you pretend ignorance?"

"Making difficult choices is part of being alive, " Troi said. "You cannot assume that she will make the wrong ones, given the chance.

"Troi's right, " said Beverly. "She's not the same person she was when she did all of those horrible things."

Q leaned down with a knowing smile. "Isn't she? How quickly you forget that she tortured your family and nearly destroyed your home planet," he whispered.

"I have certainly not forgotten any of Yar's past acts, Q...however, I recognize that Yar is a different person now. Literally," said Beverly. "She saved Wesley's life from that Caine person, and-"

Q snapped his fingers, and suddenly he and Picard were alone. "It's clear they can't be convinced Yar is a threat to them...they're much too rational it seems," said Q. "Which is why I must appeal to your petulant Q side, Jean-Luc, to understand even the unreasonable."

"Where have you sent them?"

"Just outside of that door," Q said pointing the way. "Now, it's important that you consider that the mess you are making may not be so easily undone."

"Tell me what this goddamn prophecy is, Q."

"It doesn't work that way, Jean-Luc. All we can be sure of is that whatever you did to bring Yar back from her destructive self was not enough."

"All _I_ did? You were there too and very involved, have you forgotten?"

"I forget nothing, as you should well know."

"And yet there you go, blaming me!"

"Whatever happened to the responsible Jean-Luc? The _thoughtful_ Jean-Luc? The kind of man who owned up to his failures-"

"He's still here," declared Jean-Luc. "Perhaps he goes on an occasional hiatus every now and then...anyway, that is not the point. The point is that you are wrong. Yar is not a failed project, she is a person. And a very complex one."

"Admit it, Picard...you so enjoyed playing god that your ego will not allow you to admit what is right in front of your eyes."

"A dying person. That is who I see, Q, not some foregone conclusion. What makes you so certain that Yar is a threat? According to the Power you know what this so-called Prophecy is."

Q was watching him with a thin smile. "You _have_ the power, Picard...the only thing stopping you from figuring this out is _you_. But the problem is, I don't think you have it in you to do what must be done in the end."

"As usual, you are speaking riddles!"

"Let me put it simply for you and your now limited intellect...Would you kill Yar if it meant saving the universe again? Not bringing her back for a third chance...but ending her forever. Because the time will come when she will want everything that belongs to you, and will stop at nothing to obtain it."

* * *

Jean-Luc looked down at the visibly ailing officer. Just then, her fingers began to twitch, and a nearby machine began to wail. He glanced up in alarm, to find that Q had disappeared and Beverly and Deanna were rushing back into the room.

"This is not good," Beverly said, grabbing a small cardiac stimulator nearby. "Her heart is failing!" She looked over her shoulder at Picard. "Jean-Luc, if you're going to do something, now is the time."

To his own surprise, he stepped away, still looking at the once vibrant woman's placid features. "She has to want to live," he said. "If she is going to survive, she has to do it on her own," he said quietly.

"Goddammit, Jean-Luc!" Beverly slammed her hand on a nearby console. "This is Doctor Crusher...I'm with Lieutenant Yar. Beam us to the cardiac surgical area immediately!"

Jean-Luc watched the transporter take Beverly and Yar away, and the look on Beverly's face was one he knew would always be seared into his memory.

Once again he felt Deanna Troi looking at him, attempting to read his mind. "You're like a blank slate to me," she said, as though realizing something for the first time. "I've never been able to read your emotions, but I wish that I could right now."

He took in a deep breath. "Why?"

"Because I care about you...after all we've been through together. But after all the amazing and bizarre things you have done...I still don't know you."

He shrugged. "Don't be silly, you know me very well."

"Why didn't you use your power to save her? It was what Beverly expected you to do."

"Unfortunately, I had a change of plans. Yar needs to do this on her own."

"But she won't be doing it all on her own...Beverly will be helping her."

"I know," he said.

"And if she dies after Beverly has done all she can to save her, will your change of plans have been worth it?"

Picard crossed his arms. "I don't expect you to understand."

"Don't worry, you don't have to explain it to me. But you will have to explain it to Beverly." Troi turned on her heel and left the room.

 _An interesting, and risky choice, Jean-Luc. Perhaps you listened to me after all,_ drifted Q's disembodied voice.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

* * *

"Captain, we're picking up a distress signal from a Federation Ambassador vessel."

"Political negotiations with Orions are rare, and this area of space is unlikely for a diplomatic mission," said Data. "Helm, approach the coordinates of the distress signal to within 3 kilometers and scan again."

Michael Chen, Yar's temporary replacement at tactical leaned over his station. "Captain, I recommend extreme caution. After that fray with those pirates, it could be a trap."

"Agreed," said Data.

"We've arrived sir. Running scans now." The ops officer reported.

"Captain," said Chen excitedly. "I'm picking up a radiation signature from an Orion ship...but it's old sir. No Orions in this sector."

"Approach to within transporter range, and hail them."

"Hailing sir...no response. Trying again. No response sir," Chen said after a moment.

"Life signs?"

"Yes," said ops. "Two life signs...strong."

"No sign of damage to the vessel. All systems intact."

Data glanced over his shoulder. "Mr. Chen, alert Starfleet Command that we have located an ambassador's ship, and prepare a boarding party."

"Aye sir."

* * *

Data was in the transporter room when the away team beamed back on board. Jack Crusher and Walker Keel displayed what Data had come to recognize as weary expressions. Ensign Chen reported that the two men had been found on the bridge of the small ship, tied up with some kind of cargo restraints, and relatively uninjured, aside from a little dehydration.

The two men glanced around, before stepping down with the security officers close behind.

Jack gave his most charismatic smile, which almost always worked to warm up suspicious people. Of course, Data was not a person...so to speak.

"What is your business in this sector?" Data asked, getting right to the point as the two humans approached.

"Data...good to see you again," said Walker. "Where's Jean-Luc?"

"Please answer my question," said Data. "I have notified Starfleet Command of your presence on board a diplomatic ship. A towing vessel is now on its way to retrieve it."

Jack eyed Walker somewhat nervously. His connections at Headquarters had garnered him the ship legitimately, but only because just a few individuals knew he had taken it. "Contact Admiral Choji, he's on the Federation Council. Everything checks out, believe me."

"By offering me the name of an individual on the Council, are you refusing to explain the nature of your business in Orion territory?"

"Look, Data, I have diplomatic credentials, and I don't have to tell you what I'm doing out here...and Walker is at Intel so-"

Walker put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jack, hold on. Data, where's Jean-Luc? I have something important to share with him."

"Captain Picard is currently unavailable. I am acting-Captain, and any information to be relayed to Captain Picard must be relayed to me first."

Jack bit his lip. "Fine. Let's go talk. But first, can we get something to eat?"

"Certainly," said Data, gesturing toward the door.

* * *

 _The sunlight was very bright, as she stepped out into the clearing. The trees had been comforting, and had surrounded her almost protectively as she walked down the path. They weren't like the trees on Turkana, but of the tropical kind. Like ones she had seen on Risa while on shore leave once. But something was compelling her to leave this forest. She was alone, or thought she was. But suddenly a tall figure loomed, stalking toward her out of nowhere. She recognized the face, but it took her a long moment to remember his name._

 _"Riker!" she shouted, as he approached._

 _He smiled at her in a strange way. Someone else had smiled at her in that way recently, but she couldn't recall just who._

 _"Yar! Is that really you?"_

 _"Yes, it's me."_

 _"Good," Riker laughed. "I've been waiting for you. We all have...now all you have to do is kill Caine. He's in the way you know?"_

 _Yar shook her head. "No, I can't do that."_

 _Riker laughed again and pointed away from him. "See that over there? All you have to do is grab that, and you will be able to do away with Caine. He's afraid of it...remember?"_

 _She looked to where he was pointing, and saw about ten meters away, a very bright light glowing near the ground. Suddenly she was standing over it._

 _"Go ahead, just take it into your hands," urged Will Riker. "Then it will be yours. Caine won't stand a chance."_

 _She leaned down, drawn to the light, but it was only then that she saw where the light was coming from. Captain Picard lay on the ground. His eyes were lifeless, but the bright star emanated from his chest, warming the air around them, even as his body grew cold._

 _"Go ahead...you already killed him. Just take it. Then you can kill Caine too."_

 _"No!"_

* * *

"No!" she shouted, gasping for breath. Her eyes opened and the light was so bright that she forced her eyes closed again. There was a strong hand on her shoulder, pushing her backward gently.

"Heartbeat is erratic, doctor...okay, it is leveling out now."

"The implant is operating within specs," said another voice.

The hand on her shoulder squeezed, and she opened her eyes again. A familiar face stared down into hers with genuine concern. "She's alright, must have had a bad dream when she was coming out of the anesthesia."

Yar tried to speak, but the words came out so hoarsely that she didn't understand herself. The beautiful face leaned down again. "Hmm? What did you say, Tasha?"

She blinked and licked her dry lips. "Where am I?"

"You're in sickbay. Now lay back down, we're going to move you into recovery as soon as we can."

* * *

When she woke up again, the lights were dimmer, and she turned her head to see Doctor Crusher standing nearby, checking some kind of machine. She was in a new room.

There was a pressure on her right palm, and she glanced down, to see that someone was holding her hand. Frowning, she turned her head to right and saw that Ashley Howell was sleeping with her head propped on one hand on the edge of the bed, with her other hand securely attached to Tasha's. Yar instinctively yanked her hand away, but the woman continued to sleep soundly, not noticing at all. Tasha reached up to rub her eyes, and felt a muscular tightness in her chest and back. Uncomfortable but not quite in pain, she lowered her arms, careful to steer clear of the still sleeping Howell.

She turned her head back to the left to find Beverly Crusher watching her with a half-amused expression. "She's been here for four hours, just sitting with you. I'm glad you slept for so long, Tasha, you really needed the rest."

"What happened?" she asked, inching away from Howell. "I just had surgery?"

"Congratulations," a tall cocoa-skinned man entered the room, who she recognized was one of Crusher's medical staff. "You're the owner of a brand new heart," said Felix Farmer. He pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down. "Now, you're going to need a few days before returning to duty, Lieutenant, but the implant should settle in fine before then."

She brought her hand to her neck, and a chill went through her. It was missing.

"Looking for this?" Beverly said, handing her a slim metal chain with the tiny key attached.

Yar took it gratefully, trying not to look too relieved as she hooked it around her neck. "Thank you. Um...where is Captain Picard?"

"He was actually already here a little while ago," Beverly said with a small smile. "He wanted to make sure you were alright."

Yar was looking at Beverly intently. "Is the Captain okay?"

"M-hmm, yes," Beverly said with a nod, before turning away to attend to a task. "For now," she added under her breath.

Crusher remained facing away, so Yar frowned and glanced at Felix for clarification. The handsome doctor flashed her a glittering smile and gave a quick shake of his head, which spoke volumes.

Yar scratched the top of her head, deciding to move the subject back to herself. "Um, you said I have an implant?"

"We had to replace your heart, Tasha," Felix explained gently. "You have been battling an infection for days, and the radiation poisoning made the circumstances much more dire. Don't worry, everything went fine," he said with a warm smile.

"I know it's a shock," said Beverly, adjusting a pillow behind Tasha's head. "But you won't know the difference once you're back on your feet."

Tasha leaned back in the bed, and shut her eyes. "Thank you for helping me," she said. Tasha dimly recalled from Captain Picard's security file, that he had an artificial heart implanted as the result of an injury sustained when he was much younger. The memories began to flood back to her from her experience chasing down Chandra. She hadn't wanted to use an environmental suit, had believed she could resolve the situation quickly enough to get back to safety. But she'd been wrong.

"How much do you remember, Tasha?" Beverly asked, noticing the faraway look in the officer's eyes.

She shook her head, feeling suddenly overwhelmed by anger and remorse as a vision of Arroyo falling into the plasma chamber flashed back to her. "I don't know," she lied. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Ashley Howell was waking up with a stretch. _Well,_ t _his is really awkward._

Ashley smiled groggily up at Yar. "Hi Chief...how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just was worried...I mean everyone in security is worried about you, Chief." Something about the shy way she looked down at the bed, made Tasha extremely uncomfortable.

Yar rolled her eyes over to Beverly, who merely smiled back at her as if to say "you're on your own".

"You don't need to be here," Yar said to Howell, trying to give her a way out. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty?"

Howell looked slightly hurt, and looked to Beverly and Felix for help. Beverly raised her eyebrows, and looked up at the ceiling, feeling the air in the room fill with Howell's embarrassment.

"No, I guess I just thought that you-"

"Ashley, why don't you come back later today...it looks like Lieutenant Yar needs some time alone," Beverly said having mercy on the poor girl. Just then, the door swished open, and T'Sara entered the room quietly.

To everyone's surprise, including her own, Tasha reached down and took Howell's hand in hers again, as T'Sara approached. Howell smiled reflexively, and looked at Tasha with surprise and obvious affection.

Beverly pursed her lips and folded her arms around a chart she was holding, looking on.

The Vulcan officer halted next to Felix, who had risen to his feet. She took in the scene with a patient expression. "I would like to speak to Lieutenant Yar alone," she said with the directness they had all come to expect from Vulcans.

Beverly let out an audible sigh of relief, glad to have a real excuse to leave the room.

Ashley Howell stood up, still holding Yar's hand. She looked down at Tasha questioningly. Yar winked up at her, and squeezed her hand. "I'll see you later," she said smoothly, her tone a swift departure from just moments ago. Ensign Howell blushed, and left the room hurriedly.

Beverly hung the progress chart on the end of the bed, and walked past Yar toward the door. "I hope you know what you're doing," she said, as she passed by, Felix following behind.

* * *

" _Aside from a few reports of your odd behavior, including teleporting onto the bridge wearing nothing but underwear, you've kept your Q antics to a minimum lately Captain, and for that i am grateful."_

"And that means I will be reinstated to my command?"

" _Provisionally,"_ Admiral Nechayev said curtly.

Picard narrowed his eyes at his commanding officer, wondering just how well his anger was transmitting through subspace. "Admiral...with all due respect, why am I continuing to be treated like some kind of experiment?"

 _"You_ are _an experiment, Jean-Luc. No person in your...particular situation has ever captained a Starfleet vessel._ "

"So let me return to _being_ a Captain! Command has no basis to keep me on this probationary status, and you know this."

The Admiral glared at him for a few more moments. _"Can you promise me that you won't use your power unless authorized to?"_

Picard resisted the urge to leap up and pace furiously around his ready room. Instead, he sat very still, trying to perfectly mimic the calm demeanor of his android second-in-command. Data sat next to him, but had remained silent for the entire meeting. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the words out. "No," he said finally. "I cannot promise you that. It's a part of me now, Alynna, can't you see that?"

 _"We all have_ parts _, Captain. But we keep them under control, so that we can do our duty."_

"Has it occurred to you that I may actually perform my duties better without such restraints Admiral?"

Data's head snapped to the side, now watching him intently. Picard gave a mental shrug. Of course, they hadn't discussed this before their conference meeting with Admiral Nechayev, and if he was Data he might have been surprised as well.

" _Explain what you mean by that, Captain,"_ prompted the Admiral.

"Just give me a chance...for the remainder of this mission to be who I am now. Not who I was eleven years ago."

Nechayev sighed and shook her head. She had the most complex expression on her face, he had ever seen. _"I was trying to protect you, Jean-Luc. Do you realize how many people here at Command would like to use your power? They want to see what you are capable of, so that they can control it."_ She leaned into the screen a bit more. _"Fine...but we will expect you to adhere to Starfleet principles during this trial period, Captain, and all times thereafter. And you must use our conventional technology just as any other Captain would. The impact on your crew should be minimal."_

"Of course."

 _"Oh, and one other thing...Data will share your responsibilities."_

"What?"

 _"Data will be your co-captain. I want there to be no barriers to him regaining command should you go off the deep end again."_

"Admiral, I must object to this plan," said Data. "If Captain Picard engages in behavior which conflicts with his duties, I may not be able to remove him from command, due to the nature of his abilities."

"Honestly, Data, is that really what you think of me? I thought we-"

 _"Data is right, Captain. Nevertheless, my decision stands."_

Picard wagged his index finger at the computer terminal. "No, no, Admiral, there is one more thing."

"What?"

"If I make it through this mission successfully, on my terms, Starfleet must agree to drop its inquiries into my...abilities."

 _"Let's take this one step at a time, Captain. There are many people watching you, right now. Nechayev out."_

* * *

"So, what can I help you with?"

"I am visiting you in the hospital, Lieutenant, therefore it is more than likely _you_ who needs assistance." Counselor T'Sara gave an annoying tilt of her head.

Yar leaned back and sighed. "So you're not here on business. This is a social visit."

"Vulcans are not social."

Yar watched the counselor silently for a moment. It was a fair enough point about Vulcans generally, she admitted, but still here T'Sara was. "And yet here you are," she said, echoing her inner thoughts.

T'Sara didn't change her perfect posture, but she did shift her gaze. "Why did you chase Ensign Chandra through the nacelle tube?"

Yar began to laugh and covered her face with her hands.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because for a minute there I actually believed that you didn't come here to counsel me."

"I merely asked you a question, Lieutenant. I have no intention of counseling you."

Yar closed her eyes again. After a few moments, she opened them. "I was really going after Arroyo," she admitted. "I wanted to kill him." She smiled at T'Sara. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"No."

Yar shrugged. "It's the truth."

"And yet, you did not kill him. Chandra did."

Yar crossed her arms, still feeling the tightness in her chest. She didn't feel like talking about Chandra and Arroyo, because eventually her mind would wander to Chandra's last words. And the dream she'd had. What did it all mean?

"I don't know who I am," she suddenly blurted out. She felt her new heart begin to beat too fast. She gasped for breath, and clutched at her chest, unable to get enough air into her lungs. The edges of her vision began to blur.

Dimly she realized that T'Sara had stood up and moved closer. She felt a pressure on her wrist where her pulse continued to beat impossibly fast. Gradually she began to come out of it, and her breathing grew more regular. She sucked in air through her nose more slowly, feeling her heartbeat begin to even out. T'Sara was leaning down over her, and the Vulcan's higher body heat radiated around her. "What happened?"

"You are having a panic attack. I am providing you with a Vulcan technique. The process will help you to calm down, Tasha."

"It's okay, I'm okay now," she said quickly, beginning to panic for other reasons, but T'Sara's grip was soft yet immovable.

"Try and relax your mind," she said, touching her fingertips lightly to the side of Tasha's neck. Yar felt an immediate calm flood over her.

Yar stared upward, realizing for the first time how smooth T'Sara's olive skin was, and how soft her lips looked. She glanced down, as she felt T'Sara begin to stroke the inside of her wrist with two fingers. "What are you doing? Is that part of the process?"

"Yes. I am attempting to calm you down," T'Sara said with a quizzical expression.

Yar smiled, pulling her down closer for a kiss, but T'Sara stopped her forward motion. She rested her palm on Yar's cheek momentarily, and let go of her wrist, before moving away. "You must rest," she said quietly, and slowed down to look back before she left the room.

* * *

"For the last time, Data, I am sure that between the two of us we can-"

 _"Chen to Data."_

"Data here."

Jean-Luc got to his feet, annoyed at yet another interruption. He and Data had been trying to work out a feasible scenario in which both of them were expected to be Captain. One would have to defer to the other, it just had to be that way. He paced away as Data continued the conversation with Chen.

 _"Captain it's the two men from the rescue. As you requested, they are now waiting outside the ready room."_

Jean-Luc didn't even have a chance to think, or even properly turn around before Data said, "Send them in," which is why it happened when it did. He just hadn't been prepared.

"Hello, Jean-Luc."

He wasn't prepared for the sound of Jack's voice. Here on his ship. He turned around to see Jack and Walker standing in the doorway, and his first concrete thought was nearly disastrous. In an instant, the computer, the desk and the entire deck between him and Jack disappeared with a thunderous clap. Jack and Walker stared down through the opening in the floor, and could see people running beneath them along the corridors of deck 2, as the structural integrity alarm began to sound.

 _Yellow alert, yellow alert..._

Picard waved his hand as subtly as possible, and the floor and all other features of the ready room were restored to normal as the yellow alert ceased. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. He glanced at Data, who merely fixed him with a probing expression. He cleared his throat. "Let's try this again, shall we?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Jack pointed down at the now intact floor in front of him, which had only just recently been a gaping hole. "This is _exactly_ why I warned Headquarters about you, Jean-Luc."

Jean-Luc stepped rather aggressively toward his old friend. " _You_ warned them. Really."

Jack nodded and glanced at Walker. "That's right. But believe me, I wasn't the only one. It's very clear that you're not the Jean-Luc Picard who used to set the example for the rest of us."

Picard looked around in the air with mock concern. "Oh? Perhaps he got lost, somewhere along the way."

Walker stepped closer to gain his friend's attention. "Listen, Jean-Luc. You need to calm down. We're your friends, and we've got something important to tell you."

"Oh dear... the good cop, bad cop routine again. I assure you Walker, I am completely calm." Picard turned toward Data. "What the hell happened while I was off duty to gift us with these two?"

"We received distress call from a diplomatic ship, and initiated an emergency rescue, Captain."

"And, so they've been rescued...now, what do they want?"

"We're standing right _here_ , Jean-Luc...you can't treat us like this!"

Jean-Luc ignored Jack, glaring past him at Data. "I don't have time for this, Mr. Data. Find out what these two men want, and then find them the closest transport back to Earth. I'll be on the bridge."

* * *

He wasn't calm. Not in the slightest. He sat down heavily in his captain's chair, again feeling the suspicious eyes of his bridge crew upon him. Forced to _share_ his command with Data, and now Jack and Walker show up? What could possibly happen next?

"Captain, we're picking up twenty small Orion Interceptor class ships," said the officer at ops with more than a note of tension.

He leaned on one elbow. "Location?"

"Two sectors away, Captain and headed toward us at full impulse," the young man said nervously.

"Orion fighters won't have warp capability," Picard said. "So we can outrun them easily. But the problem is...not allowing them to get close and trap us," he continued, mostly talking to himself, and oblivious to the growing nervousness of his young bridge crew. He kept his voice very calm, but in his mind, he was imagining throttling Marco with both hands, and it was very satisfying. "I'll admit I am curious as to what they might want from us." _Or what they might know about a ship that passed through this sector recently carrying my son._ "They've got superior maneuverability, of course, and will likely try to swarm us, and pierce our hull-"

"Captain, should I raise shields?" the tactical officer suddenly blurted out.

Picard turned slightly to look up over his shoulder at the anxious young man. "No, Ensign..."

"Hail them, tell them I want to speak to the leader," he said getting up from his seat.

"Captain, if I might have a brief word, first?"

He turned with mild surprise. "Belay that order," he said, now locking eyes with Lieutenant Commander T'Sara who was standing at science station one. It occurred to him then, that now that Data had for the moment been promoted to co-captaining the Enterprise, T'Sara was also possibly up for promotion. He walked to the back of the bridge, somewhat annoyed that she had interrupted his train of thought. "Yes, Commander?"

"Have you reviewed the report from the two men we just rescued?" If she was aware of the history surrounding Walker, Jack and himself, she didn't find it relevant to mention.

Picard sighed. He'd succeeded in lasting just five minutes without thoughts of Jack. "No...but I gather you have?"

She nodded. "Captain, Mr. Keel indicates that they were waylaid by Orion pirates. The leader ordered them tied up and they were told to give you a message."

He smoothed his hair. He'd stepped out of his ready room before they could really tell him anything. He had to work on his patience, which had all but left him while he was a Q. "Which was?"

"The message was relayed on behalf of Marco. Apparently he is willing to trade your son for Lieutenant Yar, at a time and place of Marco's choosing. "The pirates warned that if we attempt to retrieve Seth beforehand, the consequences will be severe." Her eyes were completely focused on his, and he was slightly disconcerted.

He took a small step backward. "What?"

"It is very possible that the Orions headed this way, wish to...follow up on that proposal, Captain."

He looked at her. "You're probably correct, Commander. Where is Lieutenant Yar right now?"

"She is currently still in sickbay. Acting-Captain Data-"

"T'Sara, Data and I are currently sharing command. He has been temporarily been promoted to Captain, with no doubt a permanent command in his future."

She lifted an eyebrow. " _Captain,_ at the time Acting-Captain Data ordered Yar to undergo counseling before returning to duty. She has not yet been released from sickbay."

"Was this your recommendation?"

"Yes, sir. However, Captain, I believe we should notify the Lieutenant of the possible risk, should we be attacked by the Orions. They may try and capture her."

"You are probably correct; they may try and board us to do just that. But I have no intention of telling her."

T'Sara stood her ground firmly. "Captain, I must object-"

"I recognize that you are concerned about Yar's safety, Commander, but she is perhaps as safe as possible remaining in sickbay, and unaware of the risks."

T'Sara merely watched him, and he was well aware of her displeasure, despite her Vulcan calm.

"Commander...when was the last time you observed Lieutenant Yar making a reasoned, and _logical_ choice when provided with information related to her personal safety? If you don't think she's fit for duty currently, let's give her a chance to get fit, without further distractions, shall we?"

T'Sara tilted her head slightly, conceding. "Point taken, Captain."

He put a hand on her shoulder briefly before walking back down into the command center. "Hail the Orions."

* * *

Even though she knew she would be released to return to duty soon if all went well, Yar remained restless, as she finished getting dressed in the loose hospital clothing she was still required to wear. All she had to do was to just keep it together and get through one counseling session. She'd had to do it before, and knew she could manage; it just took a certain level of control. The problem was, she didn't feel her usual control, or her typical urgency to return to duty, and didn't know what it all meant.

The nightmare involving Riker and Captain Picard had been so far unshakable, and Isaac Chandra's declarations about Caine continued to run through her mind over and over. Her guilt about not saving Arroyo was fading already, or at least, she had pushed it back into a convenient and familiar recess in her mind. But she wasn't able to do this with these other persistent thoughts, leaving her unsettled. That feeling was magnified when she walked out into main sickbay, and saw the Klingons. Of course, she had reported Chandra's infection with the alien virus, and that had probably required a renewed sweep of testing for all of the members of the Eureka away team. And judging by the look the Klingon female was shooting her, she could tell who they blamed.

Deciding to ignore the Klingon, she continued to walk toward the exit, but to her surprise she was cut off by William Riker. The dream flashed back to her and she halted, looking up at him with a tense expression. Of course, he was probably here finishing up testing as well. "Can I help you?" she asked feeling very edgy.

He smiled slowly. "I _know_ you can," he said, continuing to smile strangely. "Soon everything will be fine, and we'll be where we should be...with your help."

She shook her head, but a strange feeling of nausea came over over. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, trying to shake the dizziness.

He winked at her. "Sure you do," he said with a friendly grin, before walking out the door.

He paused in the hallway, and she could hear that he was conversing with someone. Yar decided to wait. She didn't want another conversation with Riker. Infected or not, he was acting weird, not that she had much context to go on. She'd met him on an away team mission, and for all she knew he was a little off. But still, his odd behavior didn't match with his personnel profile.

Suddenly she felt a heavy tap on her shoulder, and turned around to find the angry female Klingon flaring down at her. "My husband told me to stay away from you," she growled.

Yar folded her arms. "Good advice," she said. "Too bad you chose to ignore it."

Krala growled. "You went to the Eureka with the rest of us, and yet you were not infected."

"Neither are you! I fail to see your point."

" How do we know you are not the source of this plague? "

Yar frowned. "I'm not...and do you really think they'd allow me to wander around sickbay if they thought I was infectious?"

Krala put her armor clad hand on Yar's shoulder. "I do not like you, and I do not trust you."

"And I don't care! Now, take your hand off of me, or I'll give you more to dislike," Yar said in a low voice . It was then that she recalled Krala had accused her of being a murderer just before Arroyo had stabbed her. Again the one-way familiarity she could not explain. These people had some information on her, yet she was in the dark. Isolated, just like in the old days before she'd met Gilda Stern. She felt herself growing angry again, just before a calm voice interjected.

"Lieutenant Yar."

Yar turned to see that Deanna Troi had entered sickbay. Of course, Riker had been talking to his wife in the corridor.

Yar brushed Krala's hand off her shoulder and forced down her growing fury. "Yes?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw Krala stomp away.

" I'm here for our session, " said Deanna brightly. Her enthusiasm sounded slightly forced, which did nothing to help Yar's suspicious mood.

"Um...I was coming to T'Sara's office to meet you there. I thought we would be meeting there..." She trailed off, wishing she could cancel the appointment, but of course she had no choice.

"Doctor Crusher said we could use her office," said Troi, walking past her.

Tasha shrugged. "Okay, sure."

* * *

Tori entered the small office first and walked to the replicator. "Would you like something? Tea? Coffee?"

"No thanks, " said Yar, sitting down. She leaned back stiffly, the scar tissue from her new cardiac implant still providing irritation.

Tori began sipping what looked like liquefied chocolate. Yar squinted. "Is that...?"

Troi smiled at the young woman's lack of familiarity with her favorite beverage. "It's hot chocolate. Would you like some?"

" No thanks. "

"You've been through a lot recently. Are you in pain?"

Yar shrugged, and Deanna smiled slightly. "You do realize I have to report to the captain about your fitness for duty...even one word answers go a long way, Lieutenant."

Yar shrugged again. "Okay."

"Are you in pain? "

"Not much."

Deanna smiled. "Good. Are you looking forward to returning to duty?"

Yar looked away briefly. "Of course."

"You don't sound convincing... "

Yar decided to stare at the hot chocolate. It was kind of comforting.

"You know, sometimes a life changing event can give us pause...throw off even the most confident people. Sometimes we don't find it so simple to return to the way we were before that event."

"I stay the same," said Yar simply. " I always have. "

Deanna leaned forward with concern. "I view life and people as ever-changing, Tasha. Surely you can see in your own life that you have grown."

" I've survived, " said Tasha. " That's it." She tightened her hands into fists on her lap.

 _She's so closed in on herself. She may be the most frightened person I've met. She's frightened of herself._ Now feeling a great deal of empathy, Deanna resisted the urge to reach out and grab Yar's hand. "But you want more from life, don't you?"

Suddenly there was a crashing sound, and screaming from main sickbay. Another explosion this time, and the sound of weapons fire. Both women jumped up, and ran out of the office.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

 **A few minutes earlier...**

"No answer to our hails, Captain. Orion ships closing in and will reach our coordinates in 90 seconds," reported Ensign Michael Chen from tactical.

The door to the ready room hissed open and Data, Walker Keel, and Jack Crusher walked onto the bridge.

Picard turned his head slightly to regard Data. "Looks like those pirates are returning, no doubt with reinforcements, Captain."

Data nodded, and moved to a science station next to T'Sara. "Magnifying on the forward view screen," said Data.

"The three lead ships are definitely the same as before, sirs," Chen confirmed.

Jack and Walker sat down on either side of their friend, and Jack pointed at the screen in an attempt to be helpful. "The lead ship is piloted by an Orion named Samla. She's the one who told us to hand over Yar. She also kidnapped my pilot."

"...and my infected prisoner," Walker added.

Picard ignored his old friends for the moment and smiled to himself, enjoying the oncoming challenge. The Orions typically formed the head of a spear or some other knife-like attack pattern to instill fear, before unleashing chaos. Even as a group, their ships did not possess the firepower or the shields of a star ship, but what they lacked in technology the Orions made up for in ingenuity and cunning. Learning their motivation was half the battle. And in this case, he knew they were searching for a way to kidnap his security chief. If they wanted to capture Yar, they would no doubt try a trick he had learned they often tried when boarding bigger ships. They would likely succeed, unless he intervened, but he put those thoughts to the side for now, just as the Power began communicating with him. _Jean-Luc, you must remain calm. You have the power to destroy those ships with a thought, but you must avoid additional bloodshed where possible._

"Yes, of course, I know," he said out loud.

"Who are you talking to?" Jack demanded, peering suspiciously at Picard.

"Not you, Jack," he clarified. "We're going to loosen up their formation before they have a chance to do so themselves. There will be a few ships with able enough pilots that they will recover quickly. Mr. Chen... target those ships, before they can get to our hull."

"Aye sir."

Walker was staring at his friend sideways. "How are you going to loosen them up?"

"Captain Data? What do you recommend?" Picard asked.

"A resonance pulse, Captain Picard."

"I can calculate the proper wavelength, and project through the deflector dish, Captain," T'Sara offered.

"Make it so," Data and Picard said together.

"Done," T'Sara said a moment later.

Picard nodded impressed, turning to his command console. "T'Sara, activate the pulse through your station, on Data's mark...Mr. Chen, ready phasers. Torpedoes are too clunky for this kind of work."

"Aye sir."

Data turned from the science station and faced the forward view screen, hands draped behind his back. "Mark," he said, as the ships barreled in.

"Activating pulse," T'Sara reported. Although invisible, the beam's effect was instantaneous, and fifteen of the twenty ships were hurled in various directions through space.

"Nice," Jack exclaimed, pounding his fist on the armrest of his chair.

"Captain, you were right, five ships incoming," shouted Chen.

Picard leaned forward intently. "Easy...fire at will. Keep them outside of transport range if you can."

One ship exploded in a fireball, struck by the phaser array, but several other ships approached at lightning speed, undeterred.

"We have multiple transport attempts along the hull," said the officer at ops.

"Shields holding," Chen reported. "But they're too close to target with weapons fire."

"We have multiple transporter contacts on Deck 13. They're in!"

Picard stood up. _They're headed for sickbay...how do they know Yar is there? I can't allow them much more leeway. I don't intend to lose_ _another member of my crew, if I can prevent that, and of course I can..._

 _Nevertheless, we are concerned about your current arrangements with your human superiors._

 _How so?_

 _They have no understanding of this power and consequently will abuse it._

 _I won't allow that to happen._

 _Very well, Jean-Luc. We trust you._

 _Why am I not convinced that you're convinced? There is something else you're not telling me._

 _You have neglected your powers of insight, perhaps due to bonds of friendship. Loyalty is a human trait we admire but which is capable of blinding a human being...even you._

 _Go on._

 _There are individuals on this ship who are not as they seem, Jean-Luc. They are not in control of their actions, and do not understand the evil that lurks within._

 _Riker._

 _Riker and others like him are mere hosts for this powerful being. The being you refer to as the virus can jump from one person to the next, or many, and is not easily captured. It's powers over the mind are rare and dangerous. This virus, like all beings seeks survival, and it is a most ancient lifeform. Do not underestimate that which is so misunderstood, Jean-Luc._

"Security, send teams to sickbay immediately," Data was announcing over the intercom.

Jean-Luc blinked, refocusing his attentions. He'd had an entire conversation and yet no time whatsoever had gone by.

"Captains...the disabled Orion ships appear to be regrouping...incoming!"

"Evasive maneuvers," Picard shouted.

* * *

Deanna Troi hadn't expected to see a cardiac machine fly over her head when she entered main sickbay; she just hadn't. Worf and Krala were in a rage, hurling medical equipment and racing around the area, while bolts of energy criss-crossed the room. For a moment, Deanna feared the Klingon couple were having an argument, until she realized they weren't fighting each other. She saw several flashes of large bodied people with green skin, before Yar shouted "Orions!" and pushed Troi behind a toppled examination table.

Yar dropped down behind the table, just as the security teams arrived and began firing on the Orions. Invigorated by the prospect of even the worst kind of excitement, she eyed a laser scalpel hanging nearby. Crawling over the the wall, she reached up and grabbed it. That's when the firing from the invaders ceased and an eerie silence took over.

Yar ducked back behind cover, her brand new heart beating wildly. "Damn," she whispered , noticing that Counselor Troi was no longer there. In fact, she was headed out the door.

"There she is, that's Yar!" A small Orion woman raised her disruptor and waved it around at her followers "Make sure she's not harmed too severely. Marco needs her for something important." Two large Orions rushed forward, and the Klingons once again were in motion, armed with unconventional weapons.

Ashley Howell who had led her own team into sick bay, fired her phaser on stun, hitting one of Samla's people. In response, the Orion woman fired her disruptor at the ceiling. "Enough! I propose a truce...you give us Yar...we'll give you back your ship."

Yar stood up, keeping the laser scalpel hidden. "You don't have our ship, and you're not taking it. What do you want with me?"

Samla looked unsure. "All I know is that you're important to Marco. If you agree to come with us peacefully, Marco will deliver Picard's son to him."

Worf reluctantly dropped the chair he was holding, on to the deck, as he looked on.

Beverly moved from behind a security officer. "Where is my son?" she demanded. Felix tried unsuccessfully to grab her arm.

Samla looked her up and down with a smile. "I know I don't have all the information...but I don't think you're Captain Picard."

"I'm not. I'm his...he's my-look all you need to know is that Seth is _my_ son. So if you want to make a deal, you will have to make it with me."

"I just told you the deal. Give us Tasha Yar, we'll get off your pretty ship."

"Why does Marco want her?"

"Why should you care? This is not complicated. Do you love your son or not?"

* * *

Deanna had been content to stay hidden, that is, until she saw Will. He shouldn't have been there in sick bay, as he'd already left some time ago. And yet she saw him when she and Yar entered sick bay, and she had seen him exchange meaningful looks with the Orion woman, before turning around and casually leaving. She had known then instantly, which was perhaps why she, oblivious to the danger, slipped quickly out the door after him.

Her thoughts led her to the observation area, where he stood looking out at the stars. She stood behind him, knowing that she would not have to speak out loud for him to hear. _You!_

Will turned around slowly to face her. "Deanna...what's wrong?"

"You...you slept with that Orion woman! I can't believe...I just can't believe that it's taken me this long to realize it."

"Neither can I," admitted Riker. She thought she could see an eerie green tint to his irises. "But now that you know, Deanna...I feel so much better!"

She was so angry she couldn't speak, but instead wound up and smacked him in the face. He staggered backwards, falling into a chair. Strangely, he began to laugh.

"How have you kept your thoughts so hidden? Even from my mother! Are you infected?"

"'Infected' is such an insulting word, " he said. "Really, Deanna do you know how _liberating_ this is?"

She nodded over her shoulder. "Will, our friends are in trouble back there...and you just walked out on them. That's not you...that's not my Imzadi." She took a step back.

He chuckled good-naturedly and reached out his hand to her. Something in his eyes made her suddenly feel no sense of urgency at all about the fact that the Enterprise had just been boarded by pirates and as under attack. She stopped her retreat, and was compelled to take his hand. And like a fog lifting in her mind, everything became so clear! Instead of a stranger in front of he she saw the love of her life. A voice echoed inside her mind-and it was not Will's.

 _We have been waiting for someone like you Deanna. Now that Chandra sacrificed himself, we need a new leader for the cause. With your abilities we will reach so many more, and show them the way to Eternity._

"Yes, I see that now, " she responded, now looking deeply into Will's eyes. He squeezed both her hands in his. "What must I do?"

 _Yar is the one. Caine is in the way. Yar must kill Caine. She is the one. Help us to capture her._

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Best, PP**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Fire another resonance pulse," said the captain standing in front of the main viewer.

"How did they get through our shields?" Jack shouted.

Picard walked quickly back to his chair and sat down. "An old pirate trick," he said.

"By utilizing trial and error, the Orions were able to match our shield modulation to their transporter beams," said T'Sara.

"They basically bombard the weakest point in the shields with random transported cargo or refuse, until they can figure out our shield modulation, and they chance a risky transport. It almost always works," said Walker.

"That is primarily what I just said," replied the Vulcan plainly.

Walker glanced at Jean-Luc. His friend was staring at the main viewer with an almost vacant expression, as the pulse made it's way through the enemy ships like an invisible bowling ball, knocking the smaller ships out of commission once again.

"Security, report, please," said Data into the intercom. "Have you secured Deck 13?" The only response was static on the other end.

Picard sunk his fingertips into the armrests on his chair. "Focus, captain," he murmured to himself. Again, he felt Jack's inquisitive gaze upon him.

* * *

 **Observation Deck**

Deanna and Will stood facing each other, heads bowed, hands clasped together. Suddenly Deanna could see what Will was seeing...everyone on the ship, luminous and glowing figures, all potential hosts, some already providing that service. Together they focused on sick bay, where they knew Yar was currently engaged in a stand off with the Orions. The Orions were part of Marco's gang, and their arrival meant only one thing. The time for reaching the home world was nearing. Yar would deliver, as promised. Yar would eliminate Caine, because without Caine there would be nothing to stop them from achieving the ultimate goal. Evolution.

 _"She must be peacefully convinced"_ the Troi entity heard herself and many other voices say at once.

 _"Yar is different now. Perhaps she does not remember what was promised to us."_

 _"She will remember in time. She must. Without her we cannot succeed."_

" _This Yar is different. She does not remember!"_

" _Yar hates Caine,"_ said the Riker entity. " _I witnessed them fighting on Marco's ship. Believe me...she will want to kill him independent of any promises made to us."_

 _"She must be reminded so that she will want to help us. Someone must make contact with her and remind her of the agreement."_

 _"Leave that to me," said the Troi entity. "I will use her friends in sick bay to communicate our intentions to Yar."_

* * *

"Tasha!"

Yar turned to see Beverly walking toward her. "Doctor, you need to stay back. The Orions-"

"Tasha, wait! It's okay...you can trust me," Beverly reassured her, holding out her hand. "We're friends."

Yar watched the doctor quizzically as she continued to approach. Obviously the doctor was acting out of character. Gradually Beverly's eyes began to swim with tiny iridescent lights, and Yar took an alarmed step backwards. "She's infected!" She shouted, turning to glance over her shoulder at the Klingons. They seemed normal; for them, but if they were as alarmed by Beverly being infected, they didn't show it. Other sick bay staff and Ashley Howell's security team stood very still, with unwavering focus on Yar. In fact, everyone was staring at her. Only now the movement in the room seemed too slow. The Orions seemed frozen in place. She moved again, sidestepping a placidly smiling Beverly Crusher, who was still heading toward her with outstretched arms. Yar spun to the right, as Beverly tried to grab her wrist.

"Hey, she's infected," Yar shouted again, but no one in the room seemed very concerned.

"We want you to remember," said Ashley Howell, stepping up behind her. Before Yar could move away, Howell had grabbed her around the shoulders, clasping her hands together so tightly that Yar felt the air exit her lungs. Howell's sudden and inhuman strength was no more alarming than the fact that Crusher and her sick bay staff all appeared to be under the influence of the viral entity. The Orions also wore oddly benevolent smiles as they regarded her, caught in Ashley Howell's embrace.

"Let me go," Yar said through gritted teeth.

"I finally have you where I want you," Howell said in an odd voice that Yar thought was intended to sound seductive. It sounded exactly like Howell, but was not something the shy Howell ever would have said out loud. The virus was trying to communicate with her, but didn't quite understand human beings.

"What do you want?" Yar gave her best attempt diplomatic tone she had.

"You are impervious to our effects, as we expected you to be," Ashley/the entity whispered into her ear. "The Prophecy is true, and you have come to free us from the bonds of our past."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'll show you," Howell said, kissing Yar on the side of her neck. Suddenly the room disappeared, and she was enveloped by a series of images, sounds and smells. An ancient star ship crashing into the ocean waves. A young man diving in the ocean again and again. On the final dive, a swarm of green lights rose to meet him, enveloping his body. Captain Picard, dressed all in white, impossibly standing on a plane of stars, pointing accusingly at someone...Turkana on a hot summer's night. And then a vast rain forest, full of enormous ferns and towering trees. Where the trees parted, a waterfall rushed downward. Behind the wall of water floated a white light. The light from her youth. Captain Picard's light. Caine stepped out of the darkness, his stocky frame bathed in the luminescence. He wielded a sharp knife in his hand, and swung it at her throat as he advanced.

Then, suddenly she fell forward onto the deck, and the movement around her in sick bay returned to fast moving chaos. Beside her on the deck lay Ashley Howell, twitching, experiencing some kind of seizure. Beverly Crusher knelt down next to the injured security officer, the strange green light no longer present in her eyes. Ashley Howell's eyes stared vacantly up at the ceiling, while Crusher attempted to revive her.

Yar crawled to a fallen disruptor pistol and picked it up, firing at the nearest Orion.

"Get her," the Orion woman screamed as the disruptor blast careened past her. The Orions converged on her, but in the next moment the entire room flashed white, momentarily blinding its occupants. There was a dead silence as the Orions were encased in a glowing golden grid, before disappearing with another flash of light.

* * *

 **Moments before on the bridge...**

Jean-Luc closed his eyes. Beverly was in sick bay, and so were the Orions, who intended to kidnap Yar by force. Riker was infecting the entire ship with his viral shenanigans and quite simply, Picard had had enough. "I've had quite enough of this," he actually said, opening his eyes, to stare at the view screen, which was now full of Orion fighters. The resonance pulses had only served to slow them, but they would keep coming, no doubt infected with the same virus that now threatened to plague his ship. In the next instant there was a bright flash on the bridge-of course it came from him. Outside in space, the Orion ships tumbled around inside a large globe shaped grid, before they were whisked away, disappearing completely from view.

Jean-Luc stood up slowly, his form glowing in a bright white light. "Report," he said, as though none of the astonishing things had actually happened.

"The Orions are no longer in this sector...or otherwise detectable," said Command T'Sara, watching the captain with a subdued but incredulous expression. Reading reports indicating that the captain now possessed extra human powers was much different than observing those powers in person.

"Sickbay is clear of all hostiles," Ensign Chen reported from tactical, trying not to stare at the captain's glowing form. Even his eyes were shining brightly like two small white stars, with no discernible pupils.

"What did you just do?" Walker demanded, jumping to his feet. "Where did you send them?"

Picard did not answer, instead walking purposefully toward the turbo lift, his body still alight with the power of Q. "Mr. Data...I'll be in my quarters."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

" _Captain Data, I can't say I'm completely satisfied with your progress report."_

"That is unfortunate, Admiral Nechayev."

 _"I am pleased though that you said the virus has been expelled from your ship...you stated that Captain Picard claims he did this?"_

"That is correct."

" _How?"_

"He has not explained, except to say that he 'sent Marco a message'. However, some of those infected by the viral entities are now recuperating in sickbay."

 _"You said Riker and Troi were among them?"_

"Yes, they in particular were found unconscious on the observation deck. They are healing well, and apparently have some memory of what occurred during the Orion incident."

" _Good...but we are still no closer to containing this virus and your colleague sounds like he is coming unhinged._ "

"Admiral... by all appearances, Captain Picard did use the power of the Q to expel the Orions and the viral entities from the Enterprise-"

" _And you said he destroyed their ships as well."_

"The destruction of the enemy vessels could not be verified, Admiral. However, all of the Orions and their vessels were transported from this sector of space."

 _"Leaving no trace?"_

"No sir."

 _"And no further explanation from Picard?"_

"No. Do you require one, sir?"

The officer on the view screen seemed to contemplate this for a few more moments. " _Well...I did authorize him to use this power...within reason of course. But now I am wondering if that is even possible. He can literally do anything, Data. He doesn't even need our technology to travel through the galaxy anymore."_

"No. However he did utilize conventional technology to defend against the Orions. Nonetheless, they were still successful in transporting onto the ship where they exhibited aggression and attempted to kidnap Lieutenant Yar."

" _So these Orions were infected, you believe?"_

"Correct, based on eyewitness accounts from the individuals in sickbay, Captain Picard's report, and previous confirmation that a diplomatic ship had been disabled and boarded by Orions working for Marco."

 _"And they were the same Orions then?"_

"Yes."

 _"And Walker Keel and Jack Crusher? What do they have to say for themselves."_

"Keel describes his mission objectives as classified, and Crusher has been equally ccircumspect about his purpose for traveling out here. Keel did admit to traveling with an infected human, whom he referred vto as his prisoner, and who was taken by the Orions. The Orions also took Crusher's pilot, because Marco reportedly needed one."

 _"I see. Walker Keel took that infected prisoner, his former subordinate Finn, from a highly secured facility. The fact that no efforts have been made to track either Walker or Finn down is interesting. Based on what I know, Jack provided the escape vessel, no doubt using his political connections."_

"So you do not know why they have traveled out into Orion space."

She hesitated. _"Officially, no...however I would wager both men are acting with mainly personal motives. Just be wary of them both, and limit the information you provide until they offer something helpful with regard to this virus. They are each useful in their own way, but again, be cautious."_

"Aye sir."

 _"And now to Yar..."_

"What about her sir?"

" _The virus is obviously fixated on her for inexplicable reasons. Given her history...do you think it wise to reinstate her to duty?"_

"Her recent history sir, or are you referring to her acts in a former life?"

 _"Both"_ , Nechayev clarified.

"In her current service on board the Enterprise, Lieutenant Yar has proven a very capable and resourceful officer, Admiral. However she is equally volatile and erratic."

 _"Not exactly a ringing endorsement, Captain."_

"To answer your query, I will defer to my colleague Captain Picard, who I believe is more qualified to judge Yar's current fitness for duty."

Nechayev smiled slyly. _"Mr. Data, have you been working on your diplomatic skills?"_

Data nodded seriously. "Recent events have made that necessary, Admiral."

* * *

"How do you feel, Commander?" Felix Farmer sat down on the edge of the bio bed. Will Riker blinked, and then rubbed his eyes, stretching his arms over his head.

Riker smiled, but looked worn out. "I feel hungover, but I also feel really...free. How long was I infected, Doctor?"

"We think since probably a few days after Marco kidnapped you. Captain Picard cured you temporarily on the Eureka, but the entities found you again. One hundred other crew members were found unconscious after the Orion incident, and we believe them to have been infected as well."

"And Deanna? How is she?"

"She's fine. You both may experience some loss of short term memory, along with that very bad headache, but we'll have to monitor for any long-term effects."

"Is it off the Enterprise now?"

"Captain Picard says it is...The virus is remarkable and has very few signatures except for what we now call a 'greening' of the eyes at times, which seems to be a display by the virus when it is seeking to engage with a new humanoid host in order to infect them. In all other respects it can remain dormant and undetectable for as long as it wants. It tends to co-opt and control the behavior of the infected person, as it did with you. But yes, the Captain says it is no longer here."

Riker tried to re-focus his blurry eyes. "But I have a feeling it will be back."

* * *

Doctor Crusher turned to look over her shoulder, and could see that Yar was still standing in the doorway of the hospital room. "You're welcome to step into the room, Lieutenant. No need to hover."

Yar took a few more steps into the room, but kept her distance from the still form of Ashley Howell. The young woman's eyes remained shut and she appeared to Yar to be almost completely lifeless. Yet the beeping and hissing sounds from the lifesaving equipment at her bed side confirmed otherwise.

"You're afraid she'll find out you visited aren't you?" Beverly asked, turning away from a monitor to face Yar, who stood stiffly, arms crossed.

"Maybe," Yar admitted. "How did you know that?"

"Maybe I know you better than you think," Beverly smiled, but she felt a slight internal tremor at the truth of that statement. She tried to lighten the mood. "Never fear, she is completely unconscious and unlikely to remember you were here. But she'll be okay."

Yar took another step forward. "I've noticed that some people on this ship seem to know things about me...someone even tried to kill me because he was convinced I'd killed his friend."

Beverly froze, unsure of how to respond, so she just let Yar continue talking.

"But it's like I don't know any of you." There was something both accusatory and questioning in that statement. Then she looked down at her feet, trying to compose herself. "But I wish that I did." She looked up at Beverly, and she seemed to be trying to suppress very strong emotions. "But at the same time, I hate that I even care what anyone thinks about me. I never cared before. Why now?"

Beverly watched genuine anguish cross Yar's face before the hard exterior returned. "Anyway, never mind. I just want to know how Howell's doing, and when she'll be able to get back on her shift."

"She is in a partially-induced coma, and she's not returning to work anytime soon. But she will recover."

"Riker's awake...why isn't she? They were both infected."

Beverly nodded. "As was I-if only briefly. The best I can say is that whatever the virus did to her, it was very intense."

Yar brought her hand up to her neck. "She kissed me."

"Yes...I remember that."

"And I-I saw things. These visions...I think the virus used her to communicate with me."

"That's very possible, Tasha."

"And yet, I'm not infected. Never have been, despite all of my contacts with the virus." She looked at Beverly with open bemusement.

"The fact is we don't know why you're not infected. However, the Klingons are also resistant to the virus."

"And Captain Picard," Yar said. "Because of his-because of his power."

Beverly swallowed. "Yes. That's right."

Yar looked away, and seemed to be thinking very carefully. Eventually she looked at Beverly again. Her eyes were intense, and Beverly wondered if she was going to tell her about something risky she intended to do. But instead she just said, "Thank you for taking care of Howell, Doctor."

"Of course," Beverly replied softly, as Yar turned to leave.

* * *

"Jean-Luc? Jean-Luc?" Beverly walked into her quarters. "I'm worried about Yar," she called out. "I think she is going to do something crazy after this incident with the Orions." She walked into the living room, and stopped short. "What the hell?"

Picard sat cross-legged, suspended in mid-air, his body bathed in a white light. His eyes were closed and the top of his head bumped lazily against the ceiling.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Beverly circled slowly around, staring up at him. The last time she had seen him suspended in mid-air like this, he had been in communication with the Q; forced to re-live his buried memories of abduction by the Borg. In contrast to that harrowing experience though, his expression was now placid, peaceful.

"Jean-Luc," she whispered. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry Beverly, I'm perfectly fine," she heard his voice drift through the room, and it sounded so much like he was standing behind her that she jumped in the air, before turning to look over her shoulder. There was no one there.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said again through his disembodied voice. His lips remained fixed in a half smile, and did not move when he spoke. The light surrounding him was so bright that the confused computer had reduced the lighting in the room. "I am glad you are well, and that no lives were lost in sick bay."

"Me too. Thank you for...whatever it is you managed to do to get us out of trouble. Are you regaining your strength now?"

"I am not at all fatigued. In fact, I have been communicating with Seth."

"Seth? Is he alright?"

"Yes. He is quite safe. I am beginning to understand that he is protected by virtue of hosting the leader of the viral entities. They need him to remain healthy, and will not harm him."

"But that means he is infected with the virus, doesn't it?"

"No. The viral entity remains protected inside the manganese casing in his neck."

"Well, that makes me feel somewhat better. Now, what is he saying to you?" Beverly took a step back, feeling somewhat dizzy from craning her neck upwards.

"He is telling us not to worry. He says that Marco now understands he must leave Seth alone. That he was making the entity angry by trying to remove it."

"They were doing surgery on our son? Those bastards..."

"They failed, Beverly. The entity did not want removal at this time. Seth was not harmed."

"Not physically maybe, but they _are_ torturing him. Seth is Marco's flesh and blood after all. How can he do this to his own son?"

"Marco is delusional, but even more so than the average victim of this virus. Marco has been infected since he was even younger than Wesley is now."

"How horrible...you mean his entire adult life has been somehow in the service of this group of creatures?"

"Yes, and yet ironically Marco has always considered himself to be the freest of spirits."

"Now that you've reached him...can we go to Seth? Surely you can find him with the power."

"I can now. Before the Eureka was hidden from my sight even with constant attempts by me to find Seth in my mind's eye. But now I know exactly where they are. But we must wait."

"Wait? We've waited long enough."

"Seth believes Marco will not advance to the planet's surface until Yar has been captured. And I think he's right. Therefore we must not risk rushing into this. We must plan carefully."

"How can he know all of this? He's just a little boy, Jean-Luc."

"Seth is telepathic like his biological mother. And his abilities are growing by the day. He says he wants you to be proud of him."

Beverly clasped her hands together in front of her chin, as her eyes welled up with tears. "Of _course_ I'm proud of him. I just want him safe and back home with us."

"He says that Caine is very dangerous, and Marco is beginning to fear him."

"Where _are_ they?"

"From what I have been able to tell by searching with the Power, they are close to their destination."

"Where-where is that?"

"The Q home world."

Beverly sat down on the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. "What?" She'd never truly considered that such a planet existed.

"I am beginning to understand, Beverly. Marco is waiting for us...or more specifically, he is waiting for Tasha Yar."

"The Orions seemed desperate to take her with them, but of course you prevented that..."

"For now."

"Why do they want her so badly?"

There was a long silence.

"I am having difficulty figuring that out."

"I don't like the sound of that, Jean-Luc. If anyone can stop Marco, it's you. I have every confidence in you."

"Thank you. The problem is, Beverly, I continue to struggle to determine the virus's true intent. That concerns me because I believe we have underestimated it immensely...to our detriment. It is so very complex. Q lied to me...again."

He fell silent and she saw his smile fade gradually as he floated there.

"Never mind Q...he's always lying." After she said that almost casually, she realized that the truth of that statement deeply disturbed her, so she tried to focus on the positive. "Are you going to come down soon? We could have dinner together. I'm expecting Wesley back soon."

"I'm sorry, Beverly, but I must continue to think. I am very close to understanding something important. Please enjoy your dinner."

* * *

She sighed and got to her feet. "Okay." She walked over to make herself a cup of tea, when Wesley walked in with Marca by his side. The dog was panting, and Wesley was out of breath and flushed.

She turned with her cup in hand. "Hi honey. Did you have a good time on the holodeck?"

"Yeah we went for a jog, and what the...?"

Wesley and Marca stopped short and both the teen and the dog looked up at the floating Picard with similar expressions of astonishment. "Now what is happening?" Wesley shouted, instantly panicked. "Is it the Q? Are they taking him again?"

"No, no honey, he's just _thinking_ ," she tried to tell him in as soothing voice as possible.

Wesley threw his hands up. "Can't he just think like a normal person? Why does he have to be so weird all the time?"

"Wes, you should know by now that your father is anything but normal. But what he's doing is important."

"I thought we were going to have dinner together."

"I know, but-"

"Actually," interrupted Wes. "Dad and Walker called. They want to have dinner in Ten Forward tonight."

Beverly's jaw dropped. "Your dad and Walker...here?"

"Yep."

"Well... I must have missed them coming aboard when I was trying to evade Orions in sick bay. I knew they were out tracking down Marco, but what happened to bring them here?"

"I'm sure they'll tell us everything." Wesley walked over and gave his mother a hug. "I'm glad you're alright, Mom."

"Likewise," she said with a loving smile. "Another crisis averted."

Wesley was watching his father again. "He did it, didn't he? Everyone on board is talking about him. So many rumors going around. Did you know he teleported onto the bridge in only his underwear?"

"No, fortunately I hadn't heard that one yet..."

"Some people think he's crazy, some people think he's dangerous-but he's not...is he?" He looked at her questioningly.

She hesitated, not entirely sure of the answer to that question. "He would never harm us, I know that at least is true. I know it's difficult, Wes. There has never been anyone like him in the captain's chair until now. It's going to take a lot of adjustment from the crew, but I believe he will eventually gain their trust. But you shouldn't feel as though you have to dispel any rumors. We have enough to worry about, that gossip really doesn't matter does it?"

"No, I guess not," he admitted. "But I know he's trying to find Seth and I want to help him. I want to help him. Q said-"

Beverly reached out and gripped his hand. "Wesley, I don't want you getting involved with Q. Now I'm trying to protect you."

"From _what_ , Mom?"

"From a perpetually deceitful and all powerful being who would use you-"

"How do you know he'd use me Mom?"

"Because look what he did to Jean-Luc!" She shouted. She put her hand to her chest to calm herself down, surprised by the anger and fear that had come on so suddenly. "I'm sorry," she said in a much calmer voice. "I didn't mean to yell at you. Obviously I still have a lot of anger about what happened to your father over all those years...and that we missed so much time with him. And I know that my worst fear is that the Q will take an interest in you, just they did with him. And I can't lose you, Wes."

"But you won't lose me. Besides, Q is his friend."

"I know that," she conceded.

"But you don't trust him."

She shook her head. "It's not that simple. But...no, I don't trust Q." She looked away. "Sometimes I think...I think if he had his way again, he would take Jean-Luc away again." She looked at him again, and felt the emotion flooding in again. "And maybe I worry that he will choose to leave us again."

"Mom, remember he was given an impossible choice before. He went because he thought they would kill Dad. They tricked him."

"And you wonder why I don't trust Q?"

Wesley crossed his arms. "Q is jealous I think. Jealous of the fact that the captain chose to stay with us. I think he doesn't understand it, and so he's constantly trying to entice my father to return to him. So, yes. I think I understand why you don't trust him. But still, sometimes I wish I had the power of the Q."

"Wesley, that scares me..."

"Mom, I should have saved Seth! I should have done something more, and now he's missing, and I'm just waiting around to see what happens next."

"I know you feel helpless...I do too. But remember even your father with his abilities could not prevent Marco from taking Seth from us. But Seth wouldn't want us to worry. Now...your father has made contact with him, and has confirmed that Seth is alright. Once Jean Luc finishes what he's doing you can ask him all about it. I think it will make you feel better."

Wesley nodded, and stared silently at the floor. She was about to ask him what he was thinking, when the conditions in the room changed drastically.

* * *

Suddenly the light of the Q dimmed and the entire room fell into darkness. Jean-Luc dropped down to the floor just as there was a strange rushing sound from the bulkhead. Marca let out a low growl and then began to bark furiously at an unseen intruder.

That was when Q burst into the room with a flash of light. He appeared to be in human form and was wearing a non-descript black robe.

Picard rushed Q as Beverly grabbed Wesley protectively and pulled him backwards.

"You lied to me! How long have you known?" demanded Picard.

"Long enough for me to warn you to kill her! But did you listen to me? Noooo..."

Picard leaped toward his friend and grabbed him around the neck. "You _knew_ and you let me believe I had it all within my control," he shouted, shaking Q by his neck. "It was already too late. Now what am I going to do?"

"Have you considered prayer?" Q managed to choke out before Picard released him.

"Ow," said Q bending over and massaging his neck. "That hurt. I hate that feeling."

"What feeling? Guilt? Because that's what you should be feeling. Guilt, Q!"

"Nonsense, Jean-Luc," Q said straightening. "Can't you be an adult about this?"

Picard poked him in the chest forcefully.

"Ow!"

"I want to know everything you know. Understand? It is the _only_ way we stand a chance."

"Fine, Picard. You want to know the truth? Pretend you are a real Q, and catch me!"

He disappeared in a flash of light. Picard looked at his family with silent apology before he flashed away in the same manner.

Beverly was still staring at the empty spot where he'd been when she put a hand on her son's shoulder. "You know what? Let's take Walker and Jack up on their offer."

"Okay, but can we just have a nice dinner and not have any more drama?"

She kissed him on the cheek. "We can at least try."

* * *

Yar was already buzzed when she entered Ten Forward. Still off duty, she had replicated herself several glasses of an approximation of an alcoholic drink she'd first had as a child. Caine's favorite drink,some kind of exotic gin. Strong and clear, it had been the first drink she'd had since her wild days as a cadet. She had almost flunked out of the Academy for lack of discipline, but then later with Gilda Stern's guidance that discipline had become her trademark. Until now. Now, she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue being the stalwart, disciplined officer, because she didn't know if she was still that person. Under the influence of the freeing substance, her movements felt looser.

She slowed in the entryway, and took in the room. The bartender was serving someone at the bar. The Klingon couple sat downing strange looking drinks, one after the other. Further away, near the observation port, Beverly and Wesley Crusher were sitting facing away from her at a dinner table with two strange men. Her eyes narrowed, as one of Beverly's companions, a good looking man with dark brown hair and a slightly chubby face looked past Beverly at Tasha. In his eyes she saw not only immediate recognition, but hatred, before he averted his gaze anxiously. The other man, also handsome, but with silver hair glanced up at her, blinked, and then casually resumed his conversation. Something inside her came alive with simmering anger. Who were they? She considered confronting them. Just who did they think she was? How did they know her? Because she damned well didn't know them.

The lounge was crowded this evening, but she saw that T'Sara was seated alone at a table for two, looking as irritatingly calm as ever. Yar sauntered over. T'Sara raised her dark eyes to regard Tasha with an inquisitive expression. "May I?" Yar put her hand on the back of the empty chair, but pulled it out to sit down before the counselor had a chance to answer.

Yar sat down with a satisfied flop and leaned forward, elbows on the table. "I thought Vulcan's didn't socialize..." She grinned. "And yet, here you are just hanging out."

"I am not...hanging out."

"Vulcans don't hang out?"

"Lieutenant-"

Yar frowned. "Why so formal? Oh! That's _right_. You want to keep things strictly professional between us."

"That is correct."

"And so why did you come see me in the hospital?"

"I was concerned for you..."

"As...?" Yar laughed and gestured for her to continue.

T'Sara raised an eyebrow. "As a colleague. Are you _intoxicated_ , Lieutenant?"

Yar lounged back in the chair. "Not yet."

"Your personnel profile indicated no problems with substances of any kind."

Yar tapped the table with her fingertips. "If you want to know more about me, you're going to have to study more than my personnel file."

"Perhaps you should reserve the sexual innuendo for another woman, Lieutenant."

"Maybe I want to try out all my tired old lines on you, Lieutenant Commander."

T'Sara tilted her head, exhibiting remarkable patience. "Have you tried discussing these subjects with Ensign Howell? She would no doubt be more receptive than I am."

Yar's expression darkened. "Howell's in a coma."

"I did not know that. I regret my insensitive comments, Lieutenant."

"It's my fault, she's in a coma. Not that hard to believe, is it? No surprise, given my track record." Yar started to back her chair up, as T'Sara glanced up at the approach of someone new.

"Hi," Geordi LaForge said, somewhat awkwardly, halting next to Yar's chair. He was holding two glasses of a greenish liquid. "I brought you a drink, Counselor." Tasha looked at T'Sara and then back up at LaForge.

"Hello, Geordi," T'Sara said.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Geordi said, sounding sincere.

Yar stood up. "No sir, I was just discussing personnel issues with the Lieutenant Commander. Strictly professional," she said, before weaving away through the crowd towards the bar.

* * *

"So, I'm still not clear on how you two ended up on board, but I'm gad you're here," said Beverly, taking a sip of her wine.

"You are?" Jack asked, resting his chin on his hand, watching his ex-wife carefully.

"Yes," she said, meeting his gaze. "Of course I am," she said softly.

Walker smiled. "The Orions tied us up, as bait for the Enterprise. They told us they were working for Marco-and that Marco was looking for Yar of all people."

"Imagine that,"Jack murmured, just as Tasha Yar walked into Ten Forward. She swayed slightly as she walked. He tried to put the immediate memories of the Borg home world out of his mind; the last place he had seen her before her celebrated demise at the hands of Jean-Luc. She'd nearly killed him that day, nearly killed Wesley and Jean-Luc as well. Of course, this was a different Yar, wasn't she? Her hair was much shorter, and though she wore civilian clothes, he was aware that she was now a Starfleet officer in this universe, or dimension, or however Jean-Luc had explained it. This Yar didn't have the power of the Q, was presumably unaware of the carnage her alter ego had inflicted on this universe. "Is it true she's brand new and squeaky clean?" Jack said, looking at Beverly.

Beverly smiled slightly. "Squeaky clean? Hardly. But she's not the Yar we knew, that's for sure."

Jack put an arm around Wesley's shoulders. "I hope you're staying away from her, aren't you, Wes?"

"Actually, Dad, she saved my life." He fiddled with his empty glass of soda, and stared at the table. "This guy named Caine-he works for Marco-he tried to kill me. She stopped him."

Jack glanced at Beverly, who was watching her son silently. Jack squeezed Wesley tighter. "Well, I'm glad you're okay, kid. I worry about you out here. Both of you," he said pointedly, looking at Beverly again.

"I know you worry, Jack, but we're fine. We can take care of ourselves."

"Hmm," Jack said, looking sideways at Walker. "Right. So...what's the deal with Jean-Luc?"

* * *

 **Bahamas, Earth 2340**

Jean-Luc squinted in the sunlight. The strong sea breeze whipped through his clothes as he stood on the waves. Next to him, Q mirrored his pose, gazing off into the distance.

"What exactly am I looking for, Q?"

"Use your Q mind, not your inadequate human version, Picard."

Picard blinked and suddenly a small boat floated just meters away from them. Walker Keel, 15 years younger, but already graying, sat in the boat with two other humans, a man and a woman. They were silent, and all three stared intently at the surface of the ocean, as the boat rocked gently on the waves. Suddenly, a struggling figure burst to the surface, and the humans in the boat scrambled to his aid, pulling him on board. Picard floated closer, and could see that the young man writhing in the bottom of the boat was the teenage version of the man he now knew as Marco. Marco, as he became infected by a powerful, sentient virus.

"Is this where she intervened?"

Q drew back the hood on his cloak slowly and peered down at Jean-Luc. "Perhaps here, perhaps at some other point in time."

"You are asking me to believe that you didn't know?"

"When Yar destroyed the Understanding between the Q and the Power, this had the effect of hiding many of her actions from the Q. We were decimated, and if you recall, I was personally reduced to a glob of slime. So no, I did not _know_ anything of what I am now about to tell you...until recently. The fail safe, Picard, the one Yar put in place which ensured that if she were killed in any universe, that entire universe would cease to exist-you recall this, don't you?"

"Yes. We defeated her fail safe. And together we brought her back in this very same universe as another safer version of herself; one who had never been abducted by the Q."

"Well, it turns out Yar arranged that if she were ever _revived_ , she would have another chance at obtaining the power of the Q. Yar was unique, Picard. So much more powerful and adept at using the power than you. She knew she would be defeated because she looked to the future, and she saw that _you_ would be the one to do it. Because she knew you so well from your shared time with the us in the Continuum, she suspected, even hoped that you would bring her back in a more innocuous incarnation."

Picad closed his eyes. "Just tell me everything I need to know, and get it over with."

"The only thing you really need to know, Picard, is that the story you are currently living, the motions you are going through, were all engineered by Yar in her previous life as the human who managed to subjugate the Q. And that is why she cannot be allowed to survive in any form."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

LaForge watched Yar walk away before sitting down. "Is she mad or something?"

"That is unclear."

Geordi raised his eyebrows with a shrug. "Okay," and settled into the chair.

T'Sara took a sip from the cool drink. It was something LaForge had recommended, something from Earth. "I find that I approve of mint tea," she said seriously, placing the glass down.

Geordi nodded with satisfaction. "I thought you would."

T'Sara folded her elegant hands around the glass of tea and appeared introspective. "Or perhaps she is jealous. That is a common human trait, is it not?"

Geordi laughed. "Sure, but why would she be jealous?"

"She may suspect that you and I are sexually involved."

Geordi coughed. "Um... look, I am not trying to get in the way if there's something going on between you two." He sighed. "All I wanted was to have you try some iced tea...the kind I used to drink as a kid. I'm really grateful to you, for helping me work out my relationship stuff...man was I a mess. You've been a good friend to me."

"I simply performed my duties," T'Sara assured him. "And there is nothing going on between myself and Yar," she added.

Geordi smiled into his drink. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yar is disciplined, and yet volatile. I find the combination of those two personality types unique and fascinating."

"Um...yeah, sounds dangerous."

"She is increasingly self destructive, " T'Sara agreed. " And quite troubled."

"So...you would like to counsel her."

"Perhaps I find her an interesting case study," the counselor conceded.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"That implies that you were not being honest with me previously."

"I was! I mean, it's a-it's just a human saying. Look, just based on the way she was acting a few minutes ago, I think that she's interested in you, T'Sara. And not because she wants to be counseled."

"I am well aware of that fact, Geordi." She stared into her half empty glass. "What would you suggest I do?" She questioned.

* * *

Tasha shoved her way back through the crowd and sat down at the bar, careful for the moment to avoid the two hulking Klingons. She caught Guinan's eye right away, and the El Aurian approached. "I need the strongest drink you carry."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Meaning what? You do serve alcohol don't you?"

"I serve all kinds of things here...but sometimes when someone looks like they're already intoxicated, I offer them tea instead. Or synthehol." Guinan leaned forward. "Especially when that someone told me recently that she and intoxicating substances have a problematic history. You do remember that, don't you, Lieutenant?"

"I'm not interested in drinking tea tonight."

Yar lowered her head and stared down at the table. Something dangerous was bubbling to the surface inside of her. She was feeling lost. With recent events, she had to face the fact that she was no longer in control of her life and career. "I can't believe they haven't reinstated me to my post yet. Can you believe that? I'm still on suspension!" T'Sara's judgmental voice echoed in her head. _You find it difficult to take responsibility for your own actions, Lieutenant._ "I'm not saying I shouldn't have been suspended... maybe they had reason to worry about my behavior...but that's all behind me now."

"I'm sure the captain will consider your point of view, if you need to talk to him about it."

"It's not the captain's fault. He was on suspension too...I think Command has it in for him. They don't trust him because they're afraid of what he can do."

Guinan felt herself grow still. She now sensed that Yar was at a crossroads, and every word spoken to this young woman had to be chosen carefully. "Are _you_ afraid of what the captain can do?"

Yar shook her head. "No. I trust him with my life. Everyone on this ship should feel the same way, instead of treating him like he's some kind of monster."

"So this is personal for you, Tasha."

"Yes it's personal...Captain Picard's been the only one on this ship who's really been there for me."

"I don't think that's true. You and the rest of the crew have already been through so much together already."

Yar shrugged. "Maybe you're right, but the captain is different. He keeps giving me chances, but somehow I always blow it."

"Maybe you're being too hard on yourself, have you considered that?"

"That's the thing...being hard on myself is what's gotten me to this point in my career. A bridge officer position on the flagship of the fleet. But..."

"But what?"

"I don't feel the same. It's like I don't know who I am. When I was chasing down Arroyo I wanted to kill him for what he did to me-and I almost did. But Chandra beat me to it. And then Chandra and Arroyo both said things about me-these accusations, like they knew about my past. Like they _knew_ me. Only the things they said were-are so unfamiliar. But they were so convinced, I just keep thinking-I know it's crazy but maybe I did kill Arroyo's friend." She finally looked up at Guinan searchingly. "Is that possible?"

"I've been around a long time, Tasha."

"How long?"

"Longer than you... and one thing that I've learned is that mistakes can be corrected."

"So you think I could have killed his friend, and just don't remember?"

Guinan remained silent, just watching Yar. The anguish was clear. Someone who had molded herself into someone simple and definable was remembering now that all of that was just artificial. Her past was so full of violence and uncertainty she had created very clear parameters which she had been careful not to step outside of-until fell silent, just looking down at her hands on the bar in front of her. Gradually she looked up at Guinan, and hooked her thumb back over her shoulder. "You see those two men sitting with the Crushers?"

Guinan nodded, thinking it wise not to mention for now that she was well-acquainted with the former captain of this ship, Jack Crusher, and Walker Keel.

"They keep looking at me..."

"They're not looking at you at all... they're just having a conversation with Doctor Crusher and her son."

Yar shook her head. "No...I saw it...that look they gave me. It was like they knew me, and not just that. They hate me. At least the younger one does."

Guinan slid something in a clear glass toward her. "Here. Try this, it will calm you down."

Yar clenched her fingers around the glass before downing it quickly. "What makes you think I need to be calmed down?"

Guinan leaned in. "You're gripping that glass like you want to smash it over my head."

Tasha laughed. "Well, I don't." Presently she moved the empty glass away. "But I don't want to feel calm right now either." She looked up at the bartender. "I want answers."

"No matter what those answers are?"

Yar said nothing, and instead pulled a small flask from inside her shirt and took a drink. She shrugged off the question, letting the heat of the alcohol warm her throat. For the first time in a long time she thought of Ishara, and wondered about the fate of her little sister. _I abandoned her._ _If she's alive, she'll never forgive me._

"I see you made yourself something special before you came here," Guinan said, eyeing Yar's drink.

Yar closed her eyes, as she took another pull from the flask. When she opened her eyes, she could see the room swirling before her eyes. Feeling her mood improve again, she tried to focus on Guinan, but it now seemed there were two versions of the bartender standing in front of her. Drunk. She grinned holding the flask up to study it. "Ha...well, on Turkana there were these reeds that used to grow out in the swamps. All the kids used to suck on the insides of the plants because they were so sweet. Anyway, if you cut the reeds at the right time of the summer and fermented them, you could make a drink like this one-only stronger. I can't quite capture it with a replicator,"

"That's the first time I've heard you speak about your home world," said Guinan softly. "You sound almost nostalgic."

She took one last long drink, and then whacked the empty bottle down on the bar. "It was a hell hole," she said bluntly. "But it was the only home I had until I was fifteen. My parents got out at the right time... just before it really went to shit."

Guinan smoothed her hand along the bar. "Your parents...they left Turkana before you?"

An image of her mother's lifeless, staring eyes immediately came to mind. Her father slumped over dead. The sounds of her little sister screaming, and Caine laughing. Yar spun the flask lazily on the bar in front of her and didn't raise her gaze. "More or less."

"Your parents would be impressed with how far you've come-"

"We're done discussing my parents." Unwilling to let her high be ruined by memories of past tragedies, Yar tucked the empty bottle back underneath her shirt and pushed herself unsteadily to her feet. "I'll see you around, Guinan. Thanks for the talk." She staggered a bit, as she headed back into the center of the room.

* * *

Feeling almost elated from the homemade replicated brew she sauntered back to the table where Geordi and T'Sara were still conversing quietly. Stopping next to LaForge, she grinned and gave him an easy salute. "Sir."

Geordi looked up at her over his shoulder, wondering how best to extricate himself from this situation. Yar didn't seem like the same power hungry mercenary who had controlled the Borg and conquered the Q Continuum, but she didn't exactly seem harmless either. She also seemed entirely way too drunk. "Lieutenant," he said evenly. "Would you like to have a seat?"

T'Sara stared at LaForge intensely, clearly questioning his sanity, before speaking to Yar quickly. "Lieutenant-"

Yar waved her hand in the air. "No, no...I don't want to have a seat. I just wanted to apologize...for before."

T'Sara tilted her head up at Yar in that annoying but engaging way she had. "Could you be more specific?"

Yar laughed, and ran a hand through her hair. "Oh...right. I've offended you so many times that it's hard to pinpoint just why I might want to apologize to you. Is that what you're saying?" She felt the heat of the alcohol still burning in her chest, and knew that she was on the verge of doing something reckless, she just wasn't sure what.

"As a Vulcan, I am not easily offended. There is no need to apologize."

Yar leaned down. "Oh, but it's not about you, it's about me." She tapped her own chest with her index finger. "You see, I can be a better person than you think I am. And I'm sorry for being rude before. Okay?"

Geordi looked from Yar to T'Sara. "I should go," he offered.

"No," said T'Sara. "Please stay Geordi," she said.

Yar smoothed her palm over her cheek, not sure what she should do next. She admitted to herself that she did want T'Sara, but it was really nothing more than a physical attraction. And that kind of physical longing could be substituted by sleeping with someone else. Sparring with the Vulcan Counselor was difficult, but the alternative was so easy. It was so easy. She'd done it many times before. She glanced around the room. There were some prospects here, but not great. No problem, she would look elsewhere, or maybe go on the holodeck for a distraction. Just something or someone to take her mind off of the darkness for a while.

The alcohol was no longer helping her, and was far from being a friend. For some reason she thought of Captain Picard, and began to calm down to a degree. But that didn't last long. "You think I want to sleep with you, is that it?"

Now uncomfortable, Geordi scratched the side of his head. "Lieutenant...this is not cool. T'Sara is your commanding officer."

To his surprise, T'Sara stood up and faced Yar. "Based on your recent behavior, your motives regarding me are clear."

"Don't flatter yourself, Commander. Based on your recent behavior, why would I want you? I can have anyone I want, it's easy for me...always has been."

"It is no surprise that you consider others to be so disposable, given your past experiences."

Yar felt all reason leave her mind, and stepped forward. "Hey, wait a minute-"

Geordi got up and put a hand on Yar's shoulder. "Lieutenant, I recommend that you walk away before you say anything more. You've obviously had too much to drink. I don't want this to become a disciplinary issue. Okay?"

Yar took a deep breath. She was drunk, sure, but T'Sara never missed a chance to get under her skin and make her feel like she was someone to be studied like some newly discovered and slightly horrifying alien insect. She swallowed and blinked, turning to LaForge. "Okay," she agreed, averting her gaze from T'Sara as she walked away from the two officers.

Geordi exhaled and looked at T'Sara. "You okay?"

T'Sara straightened. "Of course."

Yar felt her face growing impossibly hot as she walked away. Another embarrassment to brush off. LaForge had been right to tell her to shut up. T'Sara was her commanding officer and for that matter, so was LaForge. T'Sara wasn't worth risking her career further. She needed to get the hell out of this bar, and quickly. The problem was, the Klingons were in her way.

" _Qi 'oh jup Oriono,_ " sneered Krala as she walked by.

Yar spun on one heel and stalked back to face the Klingon. She had tangled with Klingons in the past, and knew their weaknesses. She'd had enough of Krala, taunting her and insinuating that she knew Yar. "Did you just call me a _friend_ of Orions?"

Krala growled down at her, ignoring Worf's restraining grip on her shoulder. "The Orions attacked this ship knowing just where to go to find you. How?"

"How the hell would I know?"

"You are in league with the enemy...therefore you _are_ the enemy!"

Yar walked closer, feeling her muscles tensing in anticipation of conflict. She kept her voice calm even as her heart raced. "What are you two doing on this ship? You act like you know me...insult me. You claim to know the captain, but I'm not buying it."

Worf intervened. "Captain Picard wants us here. That should be enough for you. Come, Krala. We do not need to make trouble for Picard. This one is enough trouble as it is."

Yar faced him down, her calm evaporating. "What the hell are you talking about, Worf? You don't know me any more than I know you," she accused.

"You are not worth even such a small effort," Krala sneered, apparently deciding to listen to her husband for once. She turned to step away, but Yar grabbed her arm.

"I want _answers_ , Klingon. You think you know me...and I want to know why."

"Let go of me before I leave and take your arm with me, human."

Yar kept her grip on Krala's wrist, but was forced to let go when Krala grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up into the air. Yar wasn't sure if it was the instant stemming of blood to her brain that stifled all sound, or if the room truly did grow quiet.

Already beginning to see gray, she brought her hand up to her throat, but the Klingon's hand was like stone. "No special powers now, human? You will pay for your crimes!"

Yar could dimly hear shouting from the other ten forward patrons.

Then she resorted to a trick she had learned as a child. She pretended to faint, ceased her struggling and went limp. Krala immediately dropped her to the deck.

Yar managed to land on her feet, but stayed crouching down. Caine's advice to her rang in her head. _If your opponent strikes, evade it._ _But if he lands a blow, make him regret he ever lived._ She heard the shouts growing louder now. She grabbed for an empty chair, just within reach. She heard Krala growl with laughter and knew the Klingon was still directly behind her. She took hold of the chair with both hands and using all of her strength swung her body around quickly.

The chair slammed into Krala with a loud crunch, and she crashed to the floor, still very conscious, but caught off guard. Before she could capitalize on Krala's vulnerability, Worf rushed her, shouting something really nasty in Klingon. Unable to get out of his way, she spun and kicked him squarely in the abdomen, then grabbed an empty plate room the table next to her and thrust it just underneath his chin as he careened towards her. He emitted a choked cry and grabbed her wrist, throwing her backwards through the air. A large table broke her fall, and she skidded through assorted dinnerware to the end of it before sliding down to the floor. She had her hands up defensively when she saw Worf and Krala disappear in a flash of white light.

* * *

 **A few minutes earlier...**

"Dad...what do you mean, 'what's the deal' with the captain? Why are you always giving him a hard time?"

Jack looked at his son. It had been a few months since Beverly and Wesley had departed Earth for the Enterprise, and yet it seemed like ages. He knew Wesley was trying his hardest to bond with Jean-Luc, but the transition hadn't been easy for any of them; least of all for Jack. "Son...I'm just worried about you and your mom-"

"What about the captain?"

"And Jean-Luc too...I'm worried about him too.," Jack insisted quietly. "But he's in a...well a kind of probationary period right now. His return caused a lot of political waves."

"So? You're a politician now, Dad, can't you just smoothe out the waves?"

Beverly had to struggle to keep from laughing into her napkin. Jack shot her a look before continuing. "It's not that easy, Wes. Not when he's using his abilities in such a reckless manner. People don't trust that he has what it takes to command a star ship anymore."

Beverly put down her fork and sat back in her chair. "Jack...Walker. I know you both mean well, and I know what people must be saying, but you haven't _been_ here. You haven't seen him or what we've been through with Seth being taken... He's _trying_ to do the right thing."

"It's not his intent we question, Bev," said Walker. "It's his decisions. Do you honestly think that bringing Yar back was a good idea? Look at the way this viral entity and the Orions are fixated on her."

"How is that his fault, or hers for that matter?" Beverly glanced across the room and could see Yar conversing with Geordi and T'Sara. The conversation looked more than a little tense.

"I don't know...all I know is that when we encountered her before she was obsessed with the power of the Q. And now it's right in front of her, being paraded around by Jean-Luc."

Beverly sighed. "She's not the same dangerous person. And neither is Jean-Luc. If you travel with us for a while, maybe you'll finally see that."

Jack looked utterly confounded. "She almost killed our son, Bev! How can you think this way?"

Suddenly there was a flash and Jean-Luc's disembodied head floated just above the table. _"Beverly...Wesley. I desperately need your advice. I'll send for you soon..."_ slowly his head turned and seemed to scan the room for someone. His eyes narrowed before adding, " _...in about five minutes._ " There was another flash and his head disappeared, leaving everyone around the table agape.

Meanwhile Beverly had been trying to follow Jean-Luc's gaze as he looked across Ten Forward. "Oh no," she whispered, seeing Yar in the middle of an escalating confrontation with the two Klingons.

She felt Jack's eyes on her. "You were saying?" he prompted, pointing at Yar.

Beverly hit her communicator. "Security to Ten Forward!" She grabbed Wesley's hand and was getting up from her seat when she saw Yar go tumbling across a table, and then disappear in a flash of light. She scanned the room and saw that sure enough, the Klingons were now gone as well.

* * *

The two Klingons floated in space. It was a room temperature, entirely breathable vacuum, but it at least looked just like space. As Yar noted all of this, she acknowledged that she too was floating. She was incredibly nauseous, but that could have simply been the large amount of intoxicating substances she had ingested in less than an hour. The flash of light in Ten Forward had been Captain Picard's doing, and as this thought occurred to her, he appeared floating next to them.

Picard pointed at the Klingons. "You two...I gave you refuge on board my ship, but such things are easily revocable. Perhaps you don't recall, but your own Chancellor was going to make an example of you, when you asked for and were granted asylum on board the Enterprise."

"And we are grateful for that, Picard," Worf growled.

Krala could not help but chime in. "But Yar's insolence is-"

"Enough!" Picard pointed at the Klingons. "Get along with my crew, or get off my ship."

He raised his index finger toward Yar angrily. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't honestly think of one helpful or intelligent thing to say.

"I'll deal with you later," he shouted, waving his hand to send her directly to her quarters.

* * *

 **Elsewhere at the same time...**

Beverly's feet were bare, and her toes sunk into the cool sand as she walked through the waves. The sun was hot on the back of her neck, but it felt wonderful. She realized then that she was walking next to Jean-Luc, and that on his other side walked Wesley.

Jean-Luc walked between Wesley and Beverly, dressed in white flowing robes. His arms were draped over their shoulders as they walked along. "And so I've been thinking," he said as though the three of them had been talking for some time already. "I need the advice of the two people I care for most in this universe. Q has convinced me I must make a decision. It's about Yar..."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Wesley squinted up at his father in the bright sun as they walked along the beach. The wind blew through his hair, and he realized he'd never felt anything so refreshing. The holodeck couldn't compare to this, but where were they? Was this a real place, or some paradise the captain had created on a whim? "What kind of decision?" Wes asked.

"Q wants me to kill Yar.."

"You can't!" Beverly and Wesley said at once, turning to him.

Jean-Luc stood there, sand whipping through his hair, as they stared him down earnestly. The looks on their faces solidified his resolve. He was so close to figuring all of this out. Even the parts that even Q could not see. Caine was still an unknown, although his role in Yar's fate now seemed critical. The virus almost desperately wanted Yar to kill Caine, but what did that mean? "I know I can't," he agreed. "But that's not the decision I need help with." He watched as they visibly relaxed. Beverly took his hand, and they resumed their walk down the beach.

"Q doesn't know all of the pieces of this story, try as he might to convince me that he knows all. There are parts of our fate, all our fates not just Tasha Yar's, that are hidden from the Q. The collective fallibility of the Q species is beginning to grow clearer to me."

Wesley stopped to bend down and pick up a stick that was halfway embedded in the sand. "Captain...can you just tell us what you need help with?" He struck the stick against his thigh, annoyed by his own impatience. His father, by contrast looked utterly calm. Clad in his flowing robes he looked almost like he was glowing. Something, or many things about him changed.

Jean-Luc smiled. "Should I tell her?"

Beverly stopped, but squeezed his hand, causing him to stop. "Tell her _what?_ "

"Everything! Everything about her life before now, and how she came to be in this current version of existence."

Beverly let go of his hand, and covered her eyes with her palms. Wesley sat down hard in the sand with a stunned expression.

Jean-Luc was pleased with their reactions. "You see? This is why I needed to rely on the both of you. I _knew_ that you will take this seriously."

Beverly dropped her hands and just stared at him. Presently she said, as if speaking to a child, "Take it seriously? Jean-Luc...you can't just, just tell her-everything that she-or some other version of her did to the universe. You can't tell her how you brought her back in a different form. There will be consequences!"

"There will be consequences if I don't tell her," said Picard. "And it is also possible that she will also learn the truth from someone else."

"Would Q tell her?" Wesley leaned back on his elbows, trying to think it through.

"Q is afraid to interact with Yar...so no. Q is terrified of Yar in any incarnation. I see it now. But not only Q, but _all_ of the Q."

"Except for you," said Wesley with a note of pride.

"Ah but as Q is so fond of telling me lately, I'm not really a Q. Not anymore. And to say I have no fear is not quite true. I have a good deal of fear about what could happen." Trying to lighten the mood, Picard smiled and flopped down next to Wesley in the sand. "So what do you think?"

"Are you still asking both of us, or just the person who you think will agree with you?" Beverly stood above him with her arms crossed, her expression slightly dangerous.

A smile still pasted on his face, he looked up at her. She was magnificent in the sunlight. "Both of you." The statement came out as sort of a question.

"Good, because whether you're asking for my opinion or not, I'm going to give it to you."

He blinked several times quickly, still smiling faintly. "Perhaps if I tell you what I know...and then offer your opinion?"

"You do realize that while we're sitting on this...admittedly gorgeous tropical island, that Yar is on the Enterprise tearing up Ten Forward with a couple of angry Klingons? We don't have time to even discuss this-"

Picard shrugged and began to draw in the sand with a flat stone. "Time is of no concern. Besides, she's just blowing off steam...it could be much worse."

"With Yar, that's an understatement," said Wesley.

"True," said Beverly." She threw up her hands. "So tell us, Jean-Luc."

He tossed the stone up in the air and caught it. He'd have to convey what he knew in such a way as to not overwhelm their minds. "Alright. I'll condense it for you into just a few seconds. Take a deep breath, both of you."

"How-" Beverly didn't have a chance to finish her sentence, when he took her hand and she was plunged into a sort of euphoric event like nothing she had ever experienced. When she opened her eyes, they were all back on the beach, she was standing in the same posture, arms crossed. She exhaled slowly and let her arms drop to her sides.

Wesley was the first to speak. "Whoa."

Picard nodded. "Well said, Wesley."

Beverly sat down next to them on the sand. She noted that the sun was now setting on the horizon, bathing the beach in an orange hue. "So...Yar predicted that you would reincarnate her, to give her another chance without the influence of the Q."

"Yes."

"And so before you defeated her on that bridge on the Borg home world-"

"Long before then, actually," he said.

"She traveled back in time and made a pact with this viral entity?"

"Yes."

"But you don't know why exactly?"

"Other than to try and secure her continued dominance... I'm not certain," he admitted. "Which may speak to Yar's ingenuity or the power of the entities themselves to shield the Q from their true intent. They are much more than they seem. Yar made them a promise which they now expect to collect on. Certainly the entities believe that the Yar on our ship is meant to fulfill a prophecy of some kind. What I can guess however, is that the previous Yar wagered everything on the fact that _our_ Lieutenant Yar will choose to help these entities. And I can surmise further that the reason she is expected to choose to aid them is related to the former Yar's obsession with the power of the Q. She is counting on this new version of herself to ultimately want the same things she wanted."

"The Power."

"Yes."

"Jean-Luc...by telling Yar about all the things her previous self did, you run the risk of doing exactly what that Yar intended for you to do. You could awaken her to this obsession, and she could try and take the Power from you. Just like before."

"You sound just like Q," he said, impressed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you," she said. "I think."

"Or," said Wesley, hugging his knees to his chest, "she might choose something different."

Picard slapped the ground. "Exactly! I've made my decision. Thank you both for your counsel."

"Your decision is to tell her? Why?" Beverly found she was not angry. She was frightened for the future, but beginning to understand what he was getting at.

"Everyone should choose their own fate. I was arrogant enough to believe that I could bring back a Yar who was untouched by the Q, and therefore uninterested in gaining the power of the Q. But my method was flawed."

"You did your best," said Beverly. "The Yar we serve with now is not the Yar who nearly destroyed us all. I'm now sure of that. She saved Wesley's life, and despite her increasingly reckless behavior, she is a member of our crew now. I think that she will fight as hard as anyone to bring Seth back to us."

"Then you agree that she should be given the chance."

Beverly shook her head. "I can't stop you from making this decision, but I don't have to agree with it, Jean-Luc. Ultimately because of your role in this, it is truly your decision to make." She got to her feet, brushing sand off her backside. "But I hope you've considered...she may hate you when she learns the truth."

Strangely he felt tears flood his eyes. "I know."

* * *

"Well...I'm glad you two have finally come out and just said it. I've been reading your minds for days now."

Deanna and Will sat side by side on their living room couch. Riker held little Iana on his lap, while Lwaxana Troi sat across from them with a completely judgmental expression etched on her face.

Deanna was resolute. "Mother...we need to do this."

"Of course I don't mind spending even more time with my granddaughter, Deanna, but don't abandon little Iana just out of some misplaced guilt-"

"Mother! We're hardly abandoning our baby, by asking you to babysit her while we assist Captain Picard." She and Will had had both been used by the viral entities in an unsuccessful attempt by invading Orions to kidnap Lieutenant Yar and infect the Enterprise crew. Luckily for everyone involved, Captain Picard had intervened and expelled the entities from his ship-at least for the time being. Following that incident the couple had decided together that they needed to take a more active role in helping their friends to finish the journey through Orion territory, despite the fact that they had a new baby.

Lwaxana snapped her fingers. "And you're back in Starfleet, just like that."

Riker looked at his wife, not sure why he had to chime in at all since Lwaxana could simply read their minds.

"Because Will, you've just been sitting there like a dolt for the last five minutes, that's why," Lwaxana suggested, answering his silent question. "At least make an attempt to look engaged."

"Lwaxana, Deanna and I are Starfleet officers. And as far as misplaced guilt, for me it's not so misplaced. I messed up...badly. I need to make it up to everyone, especially you three."

Deanna closed her eyes, annoyed. Every time Will recalled his dalliances on board the Eureka, she was subjected to any amount of disturbing images that entered his mind. "We all know you were under the influence of the entities, Will," she said almost automatically. "We've been over this, and I forgive you. Now can we _stop_ re-living every single trangression-"

"He was unfaithful to you _forty-five_ different times, in the space of a week or so," said Lwaxana in clear disbelief. "It's the sheer volume I can't come to terms with."

"Honestly, mother, this is between Will and I!"

"Then control your minds so I don't have to hear it!"

Lwaxana reached her arms out to the baby. "Come to your grandmother, little one. At least _someone_ will appreciate me, while they go off chasing down some viral menace. I hope Captain Picard is happy, taking your parents away from you. I'll have to march right up to that bridge and tell him exactly what I think!"

"Actually it was Data who reinstated us," said Riker.

"Oh," said Lwaxana sounding somewhat disappointed. "Well, I'm sure the Captain would love to converse with me on just about any topic."

"I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding a reason to talk to him, mother."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you are obviously enamored with him, and seem to have no trouble ignoring that he's already involved with Beverly."

"That doesn't stop him from having the most lascivious thoughts about me, Deanna."

"Mother!"

Captain Picard's voice suddenly sounded from the intercom. " _Commander Troi, please report to deck 10. Meet me outside of Lieutenant Yar's quarters."_

Riker's eyes widened as she got up. Troi was relieved to have a reason to depart this conversation, but Will wasn't escaping so easily. She bent down and kissed the baby's forehead. Iana looked up at her somewhat judgmentally, a trait she had no doubt inherited from her grandmother. At least it seemed that way. She hesitated, finding it difficult to leave the baby. "I'll be back soon," she reassured everyone in the room, then hurried out before she had time to change her mind.

* * *

 **Hi, thanks for staying with this story...-PP**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Ashley Howell rubbed her eyes. She blinked and felt as though they were filled with sand. Still she'd been awake for five hours now and all of the cognitive and physical tests had checked out fine. The events in sickbay during the Orion attack had left her comatose, if only for a few days. Now she felt strangely invigorated and full of life. She shook Felix Farmer's outstretched hand and couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, doctor."

"Ashley you had us all very worried there for a while...but I've completed monitoring you and I'm satisfied that you are suffering no ill effects. Of course I can't release you back to full duty for a few days."

Ashley couldn't hide her disappointment, but of course she was lucky to be awake and talking. She knew she'd get back to her duties soon enough. Just thinking about working made her feel better. And that made her think of Tasha Yar. Memories from her strange experience in main sickbay flooded back to her in a rush. Ashley stood up. "Did...did Lieutenant Yar come to see me while I was out of it? I mean, if she didn't that's fine, but-"

"Yes," Dr. Farmer cut her off with a kind smile. "She was here to check on you."

Howell rubbed her arms, feeling both self-conscious and cold. "So then she's alright? She should be back on duty by now."

Felix hugged the medical chart and looked down at the floor, not sure how much he should say, for Howell's sake. "Uh...I think she's fine. She was actually in here about two hours ago...had a bit of a scuffle in Ten Forward."

"You mean a fight?"

Felix nodded. "Got into it with the Klingons."

"Oh!" She grabbed the bag with her belongings in it. "I should go and see her then. She came to see me, it's only fair I go and see if she's alright."

Felix rubbed his jaw. "Ashley," he began as the young woman started to hurry off. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Howell's face flushed with color. "What do you mean? Doctor, I just want to make sure she's alright."

Farmer put up his hand. "I know. I just-look Ashley, I've had my own experiences with chasing relationships with people who aren't so easy to catch. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Howell's jaw tightened stubbornly. "I appreciate the advice, Doctor Farmer. And thanks again for taking care of me." She forced another smile, before walking quickly out of the room.

* * *

Wesley dreamed that someone was standing on his chest. Instead of feeling as though he was being crushed, though, he just felt... annoyed, because the person on his chest was very small. Yet no matter what he did, the tiny figure evaded the swats of his hand. Eventually he forced himself awake and opened his eyes. He should have been surprised, or shocked, but at this point it took quite a bit to shock Wesley. He propped himself up on his elbows and the figure nearly lost its balance. "Q?" Wesley murmured groggily.

"The one and only," said tiny Q.

"Why are you so small?"

"Variety is the spice of life...or so they say."

"Who's _they_?" Wesley asked.

"No one knows," Q admitted. "Not even me."

Wesley groaned and slumped back onto his bed. "Q, what do you want?" he complained to the ceiling.

"I'm here to inform you that I intend to give you what you want, Wesley. What you've wanted since Seth was kidnapped by Marco. Perhaps even before that."

"You mean to have Seth back? Because if you could bring him back-"

"It's not that simple. And even if it were, I wouldn't do it."

"You're such a jerk Q. This isn't funny. This is my brother we're talking about here."

"Yes, yes, brotherly love and all that. And that is one reason why I intend to give you what you want. The other reasons are more than slightly above your intellect, so I won't bother to even explain-"

"Q!"

"You want a chance to save the day," said Q. "To be the hero."

Wesley folded the pillow under his head. "Maybe."

"I'll give you the option to use the power of the Q...just once."

"My parents want me to stay away from you."

"Of course they do! They are so predictable." Tiny Q sat down cross-legged on Wesley's diaphragm. "You were our original choice."

Wesley shook his head. "What?"

"The Q came to a decision to take you for study eleven years ago. We already had Yar who came to us as a teen and of course I had known Jean-Luc since he was just a boy. Anyway, for reasons related mainly to _me_ , and my life-long study of Picard, the Q agreed to take him instead. You were the leverage. When Picard was hanging frozen in our light, Jack wanted to save him, but we gave him an ultimatum: a choice. To give up his best friend or his son. Guess who he chose?"

Wesley jumped out of bed, sending Q tumbling through the air. "That's not true! You tricked the captain into thinking that Dad was going to be killed. That's why he agreed to go with you. You tricked him!"

Q flashed into his natural form, which was a bright white light and hovered over Wesley's head. "That's right. We told them each a story that would gain their compliance without undue violence. And it worked."

Wesley balled up his blanket and threw it ineffectually at Q. "I _hate_ you!"

Q flashed back into his humanoid form and now, life size, sat down on the edge of Wesley's bed. "Does that mean you aren't interested in my offer?"

"I'm not interested in being used, like you've been using the rest of my family."

"So spirited! Well...I'll leave you the option to use the power when you need it. Just once though..." Q broke into a slow smile, seeing the confusion and anger mix in the teen's face.

"What exactly do you mean when you say I can be the hero?"

Q shrugged innocently. "What do _you_ think it means?"

"I think you want me to kill Yar because the captain won't."

Q stood up quickly and the room grew even darker as he suddenly loomed even taller. " _Perceptive_ boy..."

"Well, I'm not going to do it, Q. Never."

"Never say never," Q warned, before flashing away and leaving Wesley alone in a dark place.

* * *

One moment Beverly was walking hand in hand with Jean-Luc along a tropical beach at sunset and the next she was walking swiftly down a corridor on deck ten near the officers quarters. There had been no discernible transition between moments, and she couldn't remember putting on her uniform or grabbing her med kit.

As she approached Yar's quarters, she saw that Jean-Luc was already there, and to her relief he was alone.

"Wait a minute, weren't we just-"

"On a stunning, windswept beach? Yes, and now we are here."

" _Here_ is back on board the Enterprise, right?"

He nodded.

"Just thought I would ask,," she said. "You know... given the way things have been going lately..."

"Of course," he allowed. "I allowed for a natural passing of time, so it's been several hours since we were last here."

"And where is Wesley?"

"He's in our quarters sleeping. When he awakes he will feel amazingly well-rested."

"I could have used a nap too, while you were at it, Jean-Luc."

He smiled gently. "I know...but I need your help."

She stared at him. "With..."

"Yar."

"Hmm. So...the incident in Ten Forward...did you make everyone forget it happened or snap your fingers and rewind the clock back to the second before Yar started punching Klingons?"

"No," he said innocently. "Ten Forward is a disaster. Maintenance crews are still cleaning up the bar as we speak. I gave Guinan the rest of the night off." He smiled at her, this time a little less innocently. "You know, I'd really like to talk with you."

She crossed her arms. "Go ahead..."

He stepped closer, as she was not getting his drift. "No...I mean really talk. In private."

"Oh! You want to talk. Okay, well that sounds very nice captain, but that's going to be difficult to manage in the middle of Lieutenant Yar's quarters."

He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "So...later then?"

"If you're lucky," she whispered back.

Just then Troi and T'Sara rounded the corner.

"You called, Captain?" Troi's demeanor was notably bright, while T'Sara clearly didn't want to be there. She stopped and folded her hands neatly in front of her.

Picard smiled and was about to reply when a security contingent approached from the opposite direction. The lead officer halted in front of Picard. "Sir, reporting as ordered."

"No...I didn't order a security team, Ensign."

The officer pulled out a data pad, looking confused and handed it to Picard, who sighed and tapped his communicator.

"Captain Picard to Captain Data."

"Data here."

"Captain, the security detail is really unnecessary. I'm outside Lieutenant Yar's quarters right now and will handle this myself."

" _Captain, Lieutenant Yar violated thirteen different Starfleet regulations in just 42.3 hours. Her acts of physical violence alone warrant her detention."_

"Data...it's not like you to be so heavy-handed," Picard said jovially, reasoning with the air in front of him.

There was a long pause. " _Captain the weight of my extremities would seem irrelevant to this conversation. Assuming you are speaking colloquially, sending a security team is entirely appropriate."_

"Yes, but Data...sending her subordinates to arrest her is just humiliating."

Another long pause. _"Captain Picard, you specifically stated that you wished to be left out of crew personnel matters, citing them as being 'generally too mundane to be bothered with'. Are you now revising that decision?"_

Picard smiled over at Beverly. "Oh, he's really improving at this." She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.

 _"Captain?"_

"Look Data, I know we had an understanding, but given our history together I am asking you to make an exception where Yar is concerned. Let me handle her... various transgressions, my way."

" _Understood, Captain. Data out."_

Picard glanced at the security team with some sympathy. "Gentlemen, you're dismissed."

He turned to the two counselors and Beverly and gestured at Yar's door. "Shall we?"

Beverly waved her med kit at him. "Captain, what exactly do you need from us?"

"I need you to take care of any physical injuries she's now dealing with, and I need all three of you to make sure that she is fit to return to duty by the time we reach our destination in three days."

"Captain," said T'Sara. "A person cannot be forced to be fit for duty. She either is fit, or she is not."

As Troi watched the Vulcan speak, the reasons for T'Sara's previous claim that she could no longer counsel Yar due to a conflict became completely clear. The fact that she could read emotions from a Vulcan was itself notable. But a Vulcan who was falling in love? More than unusual. Troi cleared her throat and tried to appear supportive. "I agree with Counselor T'Sara. I can feel Yar's emotions through that door, and they are quite complicated. Put simply she is in turmoil."

Picard made a dissatisfied face. "Let me be clear. Yar is essential to this mission. I am _attempting_ to do things the conventional way, which will require your expertise. I need you to get to the bottom of her vendetta against Caine. Break through her exterior and help her to sort out her issues so that she can focus on what matters. If we can't manage to do that, we may fail in what we are trying to do. And I cannot allow that. Understood?"

* * *

Tasha Yar was falling, tumbling downward through a towering waterfall. She struggled to right herself and almost succeeded in just as the rocky ground loomed. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped, taking several deep breaths before realizing where she was. Still she didn't feel at all safe. She blinked looking down at herself. She was wearing a Starfleet issue bathrobe and was slumped on her living room couch. She reached up to run a hand through her short hair to find it damp and smelling faintly of soap. She sat forward, head in her hands and tried to remember what had happened. She touched her face and neck. They were still painful but not swollen. She flexed her wrist and it felt stiff but not painful. Then she remembered she had gone to sickbay and had gotten patched up after the fight with the Klingons. Somehow despite everything else, her common sense had been triggered and she'd gone to obtain medical care. She smiled, imagining the look on Doctor Crusher's face when she found out.

Her smile faded as the sound of rushing water came back to her. She craned her neck to look back over her shoulder. Her shower was running. She looked down at her bathrobe again, and aside from the glint of the chain she wore around her neck, she wasn't wearing anything underneath. _Oh no. She's still here._ The woman, a civilian scientist she had had a passing flirtation with when she'd first come on board. Before she'd been stabbed and everything had gone so crazy. She couldn't remember how she had met up with the woman again earlier that evening, but now she was beginning to recall everything they'd just done... except what was her name? She sighed and closed her eyes, not feeling so bad anymore. She'd taken a stimulant of some kind, so she continued to be very drunk, but for the moment felt clear. How she would feel in the morning was unknown. But for now at least she'd forgotten her troubles. She glanced over at the wall and could see the message light blinking. "Computer, play my most recent messages."

 _Lieutenant Yar, this is Captain Data notifying you that you are being charged with violation of Starfleet code of conduct regulations, breach of engineering and radiation safety protocols and repeated insubordination. A full list of these charges is being transmitted along with this message. Your written reply is required in 24 hours. You are hereby suspended from duty until further notice and ordered to remain in your quarters._

"Shit," Yar gasped, leaping off of the couch. Her head was now swimming, and she leaned down to regain her balance. But the computer was still relaying her messages.

 _Tasha it's Ashley. I'm okay now, they've released me from sickbay. I-I really need to talk to you. There's something I've been meaning to say to you, and I figure now that you're off duty, now is as good a time as any. I hope you're alright and I'm on my way to see you right now._

Yar put her hands on top of her head. "Computer, when was that last message received?"

 _"Seven minutes ago."_

She dropped her hands and exhaled. _There's a nameless woman in my shower, Howell is on her way here right now, and I can't leave. Great._

Suddenly her door chime went off. She pulled her robe closed and stepped to the door. All she had to do was to talk to Ashley, convince her to go, and then everything would be fine. She waved her hand over the camera and saw Captain Picard's stern expression on the other side of the door. Now feeling extremely nauseous, she forced herself to speak. "Captain?"

"Lieutenant Yar, if you value what is left of your career, we need to talk. Now."


	29. Chapter 29

**One Sector Away On Board the Profit's Savior...**

Daimon Val watched his viewer with growing trepidation. A large cone-shaped ship barreled through space toward his own marauder, threatening to intersect within minutes. "What in the drel _is_ that hulking thing?"

His navigator turned in his seat. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Of course I want to know," Val sputtered. "I asked the question, didn't I?"

"It's a ship full of dirty, stinking, profitless Remans who want to kill us."

Val patted where the map to Eternity was fastened to the inside of his pants-leg. "Of course...Tu'Vol lost track of Marco's ship and he blames me for it. No doubt he will kill me to get what he wants."

"They've increased their drive," snarled his acquisitions officer. "They will be upon us in seconds, we must escape!"

"Get Val! They want what he's carrying, we can save ourselves, there is no profit _left_ in this venture!"

Val could see the desperate officers converging on him, so he grabbed his ears protectively, as an extremely convenient bubble-like shield began to coalesce around his body, protecting him from what was to come. He'd prepared for this kind of unfortunate occasion. "You are so correct," Val announced from his personal escape pod. "There's no profit left in this venture...for _you_."

He pressed a button on his control panel and his crew watched in brief horror and disbelief as a vent opened in the ceiling above Val's command chair, and everything in the once pressurized cabin, including his crew began to fly at high velocity toward that hole. Val watched nonchalantly as the navigator flew by him, then the weapons officer, etc. until debris stopped bouncing off his shield and it seemed clear for him to proceed. He hit the control on his chair, releasing the explosive bolts and shot upward out into space. The stupid Remans would soon discover an abandoned Ferengi ship. But they would not find Val.

* * *

Yar froze when the door slid opened to reveal not just Captain Picard but Captain Picard with a full contingent of judgmental looking officers. "Uh..." was all she managed to say as they filed in to her quarters one by one. "Look, this isn't a great time," she quickly followed them through her living room, realizing that she had to get the situation under control as soon as possible.

Picard halted his march past her and spun on his heel. "On the contrary, Lieutenant, my timing could not be better. I've decided that an intervention of sorts is required in order for you to regain the professionalism you exhibited when you first joined my crew. You do remember that, don't you?"

There was something about Picard's gaze that was slightly dangerous. He seemed completely calm, and yet on the edge. Yar glanced from Crusher, to Troi, avoided eye contact with T'Sara and then focused again on Captain Picard. Looking for a quick escape, and finding none, she tried to remain calm. She scratched the back of her head. "Yes sir, and I appreciate that you came here sir...it's just that, well I've got some things to take care of tonight." She caught Troi's gaze, and saw the Betazoid nodding her head subtly toward Yar's bathroom. _Of course she knows someone else is here._ "Um, maybe we could meet somewhere else-like in sickbay...or something."

Beverly laughed. "When have you ever volunteered to go to sickbay?" She walked closer to Tasha and could see that a derma tool had recently been used on cuts to her face and bruised neck, and there was a thin white healing membrane wrapped around her left wrist-the one Worf had likely broken. "Although...it looks to me like you may have already gone?" Beverly didn't even try to hide her astonishment.

Yar nodded with a quick smile, wishing she could somehow convince them all to leave. "Yes, doctor, I'm all patched up."

Beverly smiled back sweetly. "I'll be the judge of that." Something caused Beverly to turn and look at Troi, who had a strange look on her face. Troi was trying to tell her something, but-

"Tash...? Where'd you go?" a woman's voice suddenly rang out. "Tasha, that was amazing, but next time let's get dinner or something, first. You know I've never been in a senior officer's quarters before now? The civilian quarters aren't the greatest, in fact they kind of suck..." A young woman entered Yar's living room, still toweling her hair off. Yar closed her eyes, relieved that the woman was fully dressed. The woman stopped short, and dropped the towel on the floor. "Oh." Then she laughed nervously. "Hi sir," she said to Captain Picard, who was watching her impatiently. "Sirs..." she said, surveying the faces of the other officers. "Uh...sorry...I didn't realize Tasha was expecting company." She flushed now clearly mortified. "I was-I was just leaving," she said hurriedly.

Yar's guest picked up the towel and tossed it to Yar, who caught it, simultaneously remembering the girl's name. _Kelly_. "You could have warned me," Kelly whispered harshly, as she rushed past Tasha. She turned back briefly, when she was halfway out the door. "Call me?" she said just before the doors shut.

Picard sighed and glanced at Beverly, who to his surprise, looked like she was about to break out laughing. Troi had a placid smile pasted on her face, and T'Sara looked so incredibly Vulcan, that Picard knew she was using every bit of her discipline in that moment.

Yar tossed the towel on her couch and then sat down beside it with a sigh. She wasn't exactly embarrassed, but she was annoyed by the fact that she felt compelled to explain herself to them, particularly T'Sara, who still hadn't even looked at her. The stimulant she had taken was wearing off and she felt incredibly drunk once more. They were here about the incident in Ten Forward, which was fine. She would explain her stupidity, apologize to everyone in the room and everything would be settled. Yar leaned forward with her hands on her knees, and was ready to start talking, when captain Picard held up his hand.

"I know you want to explain yourself Lieutenant, but I really must advise against it in this moment."

Yar relaxed somewhat now that the Captain had taken some pressure off. She leaned back against the couch. Looking down, she modestly adjusted her bathrobe so as not to offend anyone present. Then she remembered something, and at that moment, the door chime sounded again. She leaned forward with a groan, letting her forehead fall into her hands. "Oh no," she whispered to the carpet, feeling all eyes on her. The nausea and ringing in her ears increased substantially.

"Well?" Prompted the captain. "Aren't you going to answer the door?"

Yar pushed herself off the couch reluctantly and headed for the door, feeling incredibly sluggish from head to toe. She took a deep breath before hitting the door control.

She positioned herself in the way, so that Ashley could not see into her quarters, and she hoped that the people inside could not see who she was talking too. Of course it was all wishful thinking.

"Hi Ash," she said with her most winning smile. "Glad to see you up on your feet...um, but now is not the best time."

Ashley Howell looked up at Yar. "I just wanted to stop by and see how you were. I'd heard you were in a fight. But you actually...you look great."

Beverly grabbed the Captain's arm, pulling him aside. "Jean-Luc, what are you _doing_?"

He pulled his hand away, offended. "What do you mean, what am _I_ doing?"

"Why are you putting Yar on the spot like this? I mean at first it was funny, but...you can't possibly have not _known_ she had a woman here in her quarters when we marched in, and now Ashley Howell is showing up?"

Picard watched her carefully. "Let's assume I did know," he said very deliberately.

"Because you have the ability to know _everything_!"

"True, but I assure you this sequence of events is entirely due to Yar's own actions, and I certainly did not arrange it somehow to teach her a lesson, if that's what you're getting at Beverly."

"This is a disaster waiting to happen," Beverly said, realizing her voice was becoming strident. She quieted her tone again and glanced at T'Sara who had paced away from them across the room. "You realize this whole incident is probably humiliating T'Sara, don't you?"

"Beverly, she's a Vulcan..."

"Vulcans have feelings too," she shot back. "Why did you even bring her here? Troi and I should have been enough."

Jean-Luc blinked rapidly and took a deep breath. "Beverly...if I have the ability to know everything-or almost everything, can't you trust that perhaps I called T'Sara here for a good reason? Reasons that may not yet be apparent?" _Remember what we discussed on the beach..._

Beverly heard his words echoing in her mind, and reluctantly backed down. "Fine...I trust you." She walked away, and gave Deanna a look, but Deanna was furtively watching Yar's conversation with Howell, which seemed to be quickly going downhill.

"So you're not going to invite me in? I just want to talk to you while we're both off-duty."

"Not now. I told you I just can't right now. Sorry..."

"So...who was that?"

Yar tried to look surprised. "Who?"

"The woman who I saw leaving your quarters, about one minute ago. Obviously you had time for her."

Tasha looked back over her shoulder, suddenly wishing a least one of the four people inside her quarters might be able to lend some help. Unfortunately, all she received was blank stares, so she turned back to Howell. "I don't know," was the best she could come up with in her current state of inebriation.

"You don't know..." Ashley laughed, but it was kind of sad to hear. Then she started to gain steam. "What's her name?"

Yar drew a blank again, and just stared at Howell.

"So...a woman just left your quarters and you don't know her name?"

"Kelly? _Kelly,_ " Yar repeated more confidently, but she could see that the damage had been done.

"So," Ashley's voice grew husky, and she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "This is how you operate. Well, I guess it's better I found out this way."

She turned to walk away quickly down the hall.

"Ashley," Yar called after her. "Wait!" But Howell had already rounded the corner and disappeared. Tasha slowly turned around and walked back in her quarters. She fell heavily, rather than sat back down on her couch, and slumped forward holding her head between her hands. Finally she looked up at Captain Picard, who was watching her strangely. Troi and Crusher appeared sympathetic, but the captain's expression was unusually cold. He was studying her, and she didn't understand why.

"I'm sorry about that...all of that," Yar said, still looking at Picard.

"Lieutenant, your various love affairs are your own business-"

"It's not really like that, Captain...I'm not-"

"Do not interrupt me," he snapped, cutting her short. He walked toward the door, still speaking as he walked away. "I need you ready for this final mission, Lieutenant. We are literally about to go where no human has gone before. An ancient place, where I now understand will see us deciding the very fate of our galaxy," He turned back around, and Yar could have sworn his eyes began to glow a bright white, if only momentarily. "Do you understand, me?" he questioned.

Something compelled her to jump to her feet. In doing so, she nearly lost her balance. Doctor Crusher grabbed her arm to steady her. She glanced at Crusher gratefully. "Yes, sir. I understand," she breathed.

"Then in this short time, you will cooperate with these three officers in every way possible so that you are properly cleared for duty in time for our mission. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"That includes working with them to overcome your demons, Lieutenant; there is one demon in particular, who I am talking about."

Yar shut her eyes tightly. _Caine._

"I want an honest answer from you, Tasha," he said, his voice becoming quieter as he approached again. "If Caine walked into this room right now, despite everything I have just said to you, what would you do?"

She hesitated, and for some reason looked over at T'Sara, who she saw was now watching her. She returned her attention to Picard. "I would kill him, sir."

He smiled coldly. "And you see, that must change. You must not kill Caine, because if you do, something very horrible and possibly irreversible, will happen. And all of our efforts to stop the viral entities will be worthless. Now I don't expect you to understand, but in a few days you will...and that is when I will need your loyalty and your trust the most. So, I must plead with you...discover the strength inside you and be the person you need to be."

"I understand, Captain. You can count on me."

He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. "I plan on holding you to that promise, Lieutenant Yar."

She swallowed nervously, seeing his eyes flash white again. He glanced at Beverly as he turned to leave, then slowed as his communicator buzzed.

" _Riker to Captain Picard."_

"Go ahead, Commander."

 _"Sir, passing through this sector we answered a distress call. The lone occupant of the escape pod was about to run out of air, so we brought him aboard. He's asked for you personally, Captain."_

"Oh?"

 _"Yes. He's a Ferengi named Val who I encountered while on Marco's ship...and he wants to make a deal."_

"What kind of deal?"

 _"He says he's willing to show us the way to Eternity, for a small price."_


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

 _ **USS Enterprise**_

"What exactly are you bargaining with, Val? For someone who was found floating in a one man escape pod, and about two minutes away from eating space, you've got a hell of a lot of confidence." Riker stood with Data and the Ferengi in the ready room.

"I remember you from my contact with Marco's ship, human. Have you forgotten already that I hold the key to discovering Eternity? The long coveted map, that many others would kill for!"

"Would any of those individuals happen to be Reman?" Data asked.

"Yes!" Val nearly screamed. "And they swore they would hunt me down, just before I escaped."

"The debris from the destruction of your ship indicates a 97.6 percent likelihood that there were no other survivors."

"More like 100 percent," Val muttered.

"Intriguing. Was there only one escape pod on board your vessel?"

"Silence, insufferable robot! I have answered your questions and must speak to your captain!"

Riker hooked his thumb toward Data. "He _is_ the captain."

Val waggled his large earlobes. "No, no, no! What is this human trickery? You are making sick jokes while I hold something so valuable that the life of this very galaxy depends on it."

"My memory's a little foggy," Riker admitted. "But given that you're a Ferengi, I'm guessing you are at the very least exaggerating. Anyway, what makes you think we want the map to Eternity?" Riker could dimly remember really wanting to go to Eternity, but now that he'd been cured that magnetic pull was no longer there.

Val's eyes glittered mischievously, and he looked like he was about to up the ante when Picard walked in.

He nodded amiably. "Gentlemen... _Ferengi_..."

Val's eyes grew black as coal as he focused in on Picard. "You are the one who Marco would love to see _dead_. But word out in the territories is that you have special powers...that you cannot be killed."

Picard smiled, surveying the Ferengi closely. "He's not infected," he said with be a head nod toward Riker and Data.

Riker crossed his arms and glared down at Val. Interesting...were Ferengi immune to the entities, or had Val just managed to land this mysterious map without making contact with anyone who was infected? "Okay, so his obsession with Eternity..."

"...is merely Ferengi greed," Data concluded.

Val bared his teeth at Data. "Thanks for the compliment," he hissed.

Picard sat down on the ready room couch, crossing one leg casually over the other. He bounced his leg, examining a fascinating piece of lint. "Our arrival in this sector was very convenient for you you. Now what do you want?"

"Safe passage on your ship, for starters. I know where you're going, but you won't get there without me."

Picard smiled. "You seem very confident. And yet, you have no crew, no ship..."

"I need no one else-"

"Except us," Riker clarified. "You need us."

Picard sat forward, hands together. "He needs us for protection. He intends to betray Marco, and capture what he believes to be a wealth of riches."

"Are you reading my mind? The rumors were true...you have extra-human powers. Are they transferable, I wonder, for the right price?"

Picard sighed. "I see no harm in bringing you along-for now." He got to his feet and walked toward the door.

"Is that it? I can come with you?" Val looked like he might start jumping up and down with excitement.

"For now," said Picard. "Agreed, Captain Data?"

"Agreed," Data replied.

"Good. I have other business to attend to. Now if you will excuse me."

* * *

 _ **On board the Eureka**_

"Marco, our scouts have returned. Val's ship was just destroyed by the Remans."

Marco put down the ancient book he had been reading and fixed her with his dark green eyes. "So what?"

"Marco, Val had the map!"

Marco smiled and little green lights danced in his eyes. "Not to worry, Samla. I know the way now."

"To Eternity?"

"Yes."

Samla walked over to sit down across from her boss. He was the same beautifully charismatic force he had always been, still confident about the direction of this long quest. Marco always knew best, but she and the others had sacrificed so much and left everything from their former lives behind to follow him. She hoped that in the end it would all be worth it. "So, we'll find it together." She laughed, feeling certain now that they would all soon be free.

Marco grinned. "Only after we have Yar."

Samla looked away, feeling ashamed. "I thought you would never forgive me for failing to capture her. Picard used his power to expel us from his ship."

Marco appeared unconcerned, squinting into the warm overhead light. "These things happen. Eventually she will understand and join us."

"Why all the sudden interest in Tasha Yar?" Caine stood leaning in the doorway, a cold smile plastered on his face. Marco suspected he hadn't been there long, but knowing Caine, he'd been listening long enough to know that Yar was important to Marco.

 _Enemy!_ Billions of voices screamed inside Marco's head. But he could not let on...Caine was smart, and already suspected something. Yar would have to kill Caine, there was no other way to reach Eternity. But not yet. Marco returned Caine's cool gaze. "Come on in, my friend."

Caine tilted his head, which seemed an effort with his overly muscled neck. "Now I'm really suspicious. We haven't been friends for _years_ , Danny..."

Marco flinched involuntarily. Hearing his old name made him pause. It all seemed so long ago.

Caine entered the room and flopped down in a chair, never taking his eyes off Marco. Caine gave the appearance of relaxation, but was always capable of killing someone, even from a soft chair.

Marco leaned forward and lit a thin cigar. "So what are you still doing here...if we're not friends."

"Maybe I'm curious about how far your little cult will take you, Danny."

"I told you...all of you. We're going to Eternity. And don't call me Danny."

"Fair enough, that's all in the past... I'm curious about this Eternity. What exactly does that mean? You want to live forever Marco?"

"Don't you? Isn't that why you're always pumping your body full of drugs? To stay strong? To stay alive?"

Caine just continued to display his cold smile. "Why the interest in Yar?"

Marco took a long drag from the cigar and then blew out a cloud of purple smoke. "Maybe I'm just fascinated by someone who has the potential to kill you. Not many of those kind of enterprising souls are still alive. We all know Adrena bit the dust at the hands of the Borg-of course she took your eye for a trophy long before that happened." He held out a new cigar for Caine to take, a small smile playing over his features.

Caine sneered at the mention of Seth's mother, but grabbed the cigar, and sat back. "And then I took her child. All for you, Marco..."

"If you must know," said Marco, ignoring the jab. "I'm a little concerned that Picard and his special powers are going to try and throw a wrench in our plans. Maybe we can't take him out, but we can take out Yar. I can tell he has a soft spot for that one."

"One thing I can tell you," said Caine, eyeing the unlit cigar as if it might be poisoned. "Yar knows more about that light Picard has, than she is willing to let on. In fact, if I had to bet I'd say, that's why you're interested in her."

Marco shrugged. "It's not that complicated."

"Never said it was..." Caine was playing his games now, and he could tell that Marco was not happy about this. Marco, and whatever force that had control of Marco...

Y _ar has not listened to us. She must remember our deal. She must be convinced to kill Caine._

Caine saw something change in Marco's eyes, and his smile suddenly grew forced. "When it comes to Yar, I need you to do what you do best."

"So you want me to kill her?"

"I'd certainly like to see you try. If you succeed it could give us some leverage with Picard. But in case you fail, I need to know her weaknesses."

Caine didn't believe Marco, but was always willing to play the game. "I taught her everything she knows... except for her discipline. That's new. She was a wild child. A killer from the age of ten. She could use a stylus to kill anyone on this ship...except for me."

Samla snickered. "I saw her on the Enterprise. Didn't seem so dangerous to me."

Caine fixed her with his single cold blue eye. "Laugh all you want. A mercenary Orion is no match for Yar when she has nothing to lose. It's just that you haven't seen her with nothing to lose yet."

"That's all well and good...but I asked you what her weaknesses are."

"That's easy," said Caine. "She's only got one. Me."

"Tell me everything."

* * *

Crusher was the first to speak after the captain left. "Well...that was incredibly awkward." She glanced around the room. "So I'll just get the physical exam out of the way and then leave you all alone."

Yar got to her feet. "I just need five minutes, let me change into some clothes," she said walking towards her bedroom.

"Lieutenant, we can do the exam in there if you feel more comfortable," Crusher called after her.

"No, that's okay, I'll be right out," Yar's voice replied.

Crusher turned to look at her colleagues. "You realize, this is not going to be easy. My role is simple...yours just might be impossible."

Troi smiled at her friend's concern. "We'll manage, I am sure." She glanced at T'Sara. "Right?"

"We are unlikely to succeed", said T'Sara bluntly.

Troi faced her colleague. "Oh? But I sense that Lieutenant Yar is about to be on her best behavior."

"That is because Captain Picard has informed us all that she is integral to our final mission. Not only do I disagree with his belief, but I believe it will merely solidify Lieutenant Yar's emotional stake in returning to her position. She will therefore do anything she can to achieve that result."

"Isn't that what we want?" Beverly asked.

"Ultimately, Tasha can't pretend to be fit for duty. She either is, or she isn't," Troi said. "I agree with you, T'Sara that she is probably desperate to return to her position, but a certain amount of desperation is beneficial, frankly, so that she doesn't sabotage herself this time. She needs to understand how high the stakes are."

Beverly felt Deanna watching her from across the room.

Troi could tell something new had happened; that Beverly knew much more about the intent of the viral entities than she had just a matter of hours ago. It was information that she could tell Beverly was nervous about, and at the core of that nervousness was Yar. _Just how high are the stakes?_ Deanna began to wonder.

T'Sara was quietly unrelenting. "Have you considered Doctor, why Captain Picard seems so convinced that Lieutenant Yar is necessary to achieve our mission?"

Beverly stopped dead, and took a considerable breath. It was a reminder that T'Sara did not know what she and Troi knew about the previous incarnation of Tasha Yar, and for the first time, she truly considered how unfair that was. Jean Luc had said he would tell Yar everything, but had he really considered all of the consequences of such a revelation? "I have," she managed to say. "And I trust that if he wants Yar on that away team, he has a good reason."

T'Sara paused and seemed to consider something. "And yet his reasons appear to have little basis in logic."

"You're going to have to argue that point with the Captain later."

"Thank you, Doctor. I may do so."

T'Sara's gaze moved to Yar, who had exited her bedroom, and was wearing loose pants and a tank top. Her expression was open, and she looked almost refreshed. She nodded at Doctor Crusher and sat down on the couch. As if an afterthought, she gestured around her quarters, and apologized to the room. "Sorry for that...whole thing earlier."

Beverly nodded briskly "Well said." She ran the medical tricorder over Yar slowly. "Looks like your wrist was broken in two places, but you've been treated properly in sickbay." She knelt down and examined Yar's wrist more closely, turning it over carefully in her hands. "Try and avoid any strenuous activity for the next 24 hours, Lieutenant. Or any more I should say," she added with a small smile. She pulled out a hypo syringe and Yar looked at it suspiciously.

"What's that?"

"I need a blood sample. You recently had a massive amount of exposure to radiation, and a heart transplant, among other necessary repairs." She held the hypo against Yar's forearm and then popped the cartridge into her tricorder. A few seconds later, the instrument buzzed. Crusher looked up at Yar with muted surprise. "You have an almost dangerous amount of intoxicants in your system, Lieutenant...as well as a strong stimulant. A bit of self treatment, I assume?" She studied the young woman's face carefully, but Tasha remained silent, so Crusher gathered the hypo spray and stood up. "Well...you've had quite the evening, Tasha. But this should even things out for you." She emptied the contents of the hypo into Yar's neck, and then leaned down, patting the woman's shoulder. "Good luck," she whispered.

Yar seemed somewhat surprised at the genuineness of the sentiment. "Thank you, doctor."

Beverly turned to Troi and T'Sara. "I release my patient to you. She's as physically well as can be expected after what she's been through in the last few days. When she's ready to resume duty, I'll do another quick exam."

* * *

Tasha watched Beverly leave and reflected for the first time how much her relationship with the doctor had changed since their first run in when she'd come aboard. Many things had changed. All except for the unsettling feeling that she was out of place somehow. For some reason, that feeling was growing with time, instead of fading. She realized that Counselor Troi was repeating a question to her. "Tasha, are you comfortable where you are?"

Tasha froze, wondering for a moment if this was a deeper question than it seemed. "You mean right here...on my couch?"

Troi smiled. "Yes."

Yar nodded. "Yes, this is fine."

Troi sat down across from her in a large chair. Yar glanced furtively at T'Sara, who remained standing across the room, studying a data pad with great interest. She decided to ignore her as much as possible. If she was going to ask questions, Tasha had to cooperate, the captain had already made that clear. But she thought it safer to focus on Troi, who as far as she could tell, didn't have it in for her at least.

Yar cleared her throat. "Um...so how is this supposed to work?"

"We're here to assess your psychological fitness to return to duty. I hope to achieve that by having a frank discussion about why it has been so difficult for you recently to adhere to the standards Starfleet expects of you," said Troi evenly. "Why don't you tell us what your expectations for this process are, Tasha?"

"I just want to get back to my duties, sir," she said quietly.

Troi folded her hands in her lap. "I sense that. But what I meant was, what are your expectations for T'Sara and I during this process?"

Tasha glanced over at the Vulcan, who had lowered her data pad. She moved gracefully over to them and sat down in a chair adjacent to Yar, who quickly returned her gaze to Troi. "Just be fair," she said simply.

Troi sat back in her chair. "Agreed." Her eyes shifted over to her Vulcan colleague, who had remained silent since Yar had re-entered the room. "So then, let's begin." She paused. "I've studied your Starfleet psychological profile, and it includes very little information about your life on your home planet of Turkana."

Yar felt a familiar cold chill flood her veins. She knew this was the subject matter she was expected to discuss, and yet, it was something she had never discussed with anyone aside from Captain Picard briefly, and Gilda Stern, the young officer who had adopted her after rescuing her and dozens of other refugee children from Turkana. _I have to do this. Just tell them as much as they need to be satisfied._ "The Starfleet counselor who interviewed me when I was being admitted to the Academy asked me about my parents. I told him that they were dead, and he seemed satisfied with that."

"What do you mean, he seemed satisfied?"

"It's a subject that makes people feel uncomfortable. He didn't seem to want to ask me any further questions, and we moved on."

"He didn't ask you how they died?"

"No."

Deanna leaned forward. "Tasha, how many people have you discussed these subjects with?"

Yar shrugged. She imagined that to them she suddenly looked very small. Her only desire was to get up and leave. "Can I get a glass of water?" she suddenly blurted out.

Troi sat back again. "Of course." She watched as Yar got up quickly and paced over to the replicator. She returned with a pitcher of water and three glasses, and set them down carefully on the coffee table. In what was an oddly polite attempt to stall for time, she poured them each a glass of water, and then drank hers down quickly. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and then turned her attention back to Troi. "I don't really discuss these subjects. The Starfleet Officer who I lived with after Turkana only asked me a few questions...you know, to make sure I was alright."

"Is this Gilda Stern?"

"Yes. She offered to send me to counseling, but I didn't want to."

"Gilda Stern is currently a high ranking officer with Starfleet Intelligence," said Troi.

"Yes."

"She is a respected and highly disciplined officer. Was she a role model to you?"

"I suppose. She never put up with any of my bullshit, I can tell you that. Even when I threatened to kill her in her sleep." She didn't know why she let that slip, but neither counselor registered shock at such a revelation..

"I see," said Troi.

"Not that I would have; I mean Gilda's been my only family. I owe her my life."

"I sense you have a great affection for Gilda. A reverence even."

Yar shrugged. " I never said that."

"You didn't have to, Tasha."

Yar jiggled her knee anxiously. "To answer your question from before... I also told Captain Picard a little about Caine, because he asked me."

"Did you meet Caine on Turkana?" T'Sara had picked up her water glass, and for some reason Yar was transfixed by the condensation on the glass.

She raised her gaze to meet T'Sara's for the first time since they had argued in Ten Forward. "Yes."

T'Sara took a slow sip from the glass. She placed the glass down with the same deliberate slowness, which Yar found irritating, but tried to ignore. "Did this man Caine kill your parents?"

The question put so plainly, made Yar flinch. "Yes."

"Why?" The question sounded innocent, but it caused Yar to jump to her feet and walk quickly across the room again.

She paced back quickly and then sat back down, trying to keep her emotions in check. " _Why?_ Why does there have to be a reason? Maybe there was no reason at all," she said. "I was just a kid, how would I know?"

"How old were you when this happened, Tasha?" Troi's manner was much softer than T'Sara, but it was clear now that they were not going to divert from this line of questioning.

"I don't really remember...maybe seven."

"Did you witness Caine murdering your parents?"

"Why does that matter?" Yar glanced up sharply at T'Sara.

"We are trying to ascertain the source of your vendetta against Caine."

"Well, now you know the source. He killed my parents. Isn't that enough?"

"No, it is not," T'Sara said plainly. "Your inability to face the traumas of your childhood is why you continue to threaten your career with erratic behavior."

Yar turned to Troi almost pleadingly. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

Troi pursed her lips. "I'm sorry Tasha, but no. Captain Picard ordered both T'Sara and myself to assess your fitness for duty. I understand your discomfort-"

Yar stood up quickly. "You do? Really?"

"Sit down, Lieutenant," said T'Sara firmly. "That is an order."

Tasha looked as though she was about to march out of her quarters, but instead she sat back down slowly. She rubbed her bare arms, and stared down at the floor. "Look...I know what the Captain wants from me...I heard what he said; he wants me to let go of this thing with Caine. I'm just not sure I can do what he asks."

* * *

 _ **The Eureka orbiting Eternity**_

"We've reached the coordinates. Starting our orbit of the planet now." Samla stood behind the young human male pilot they had recovered from the Starfleet diplomatic ship. He had proven to be a good enough pilot so far, but where he would truly be tested, was in their descent to the surface. The small craft Marco had set aside to bring a small group to the planet below, required someone who was well-trained, able to navigate just above rough terrain, and most importantly, someone who was expendable. The man had come around fairly easily to become an integral member of Marc's crew, and if he had any memory of his life in Starfleet, he didn't seem to mind leaving it behind forever.

Marco guided Seth onto the bridge of the Eureka, holding fast to the boy's bony shoulder. "We've reached our destination. Just another few days or so, and the Enterprise will arrive here, son."

"I'm not your son," Seth said softly, but he didn't attempt to struggle.

Marco ignored the boy and gazed at the view screen, unable to avert his gaze from the almost surreal beauty of the planet below. "Eternity lies down there," he whispered. "I can't believe I'm here...after all those years of searching."

Caine leaned casually against a nearby support. "Tropical mountainous environment. Should be quite the hike. Hope losing that map doesn't put a crimp in your plans, Danny."

"I know where to go," Marco whispered, still staring into the screen. _Caine must die for us to reach Eternity. But you must be patient, Marco. You must wait for Yar to realize her true purpose._

Samla suddenly shouted just as the perimeter alert began to sound off. The bridge was bathed in red light, as the view screen switched to an aft view.

"Incoming craft!"

Marco pushed Seth into a chair, and the boy nearly fell to the floor. He caught himself in time to see the horrifying scene come into view.

"Trying to identify unidentified vessel," the pilot reported frantically.

"Don't waste your time, we know who that is kid," Caine said, slapping the pilot on the back. "It's the Remans."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

The boy was walking so quickly down the hall, that Q decided to make an appearance in his natural form, so as not to be ignored or trampled upon in a rude manner.

Wesley skidded to a stop when the bright burst of light appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the corridor. "What the-?"

"Have you considered my proposition, Wesley? You have the Power to use one time only."

"Leave me alone!"

Q considered he might be even more persuasive if he appeared as a human, so he flashed again, this time wearing a Starfleet uniform. He fell into step beside Wesley. "But I must caution you, young human...you may find that if you wait too long, you might arrive at a place where the Power cannot be utilized."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, so you _have_ considered the benefit of using your power to end this once and for all. What I am trying to get across to that tiny brain of yours, is that the planet which the viral entities are headed for, may inhibit, or even prevent the use of the Power."

"I already told you I'm not using it, though."

"So you say! Don't run out of time, Wesley. Your father doesn't have it in him to do the right thing. For just this once, you'd like to be the hero, wouldn't you?"

Wesley shut his eyes when Q flashed away. Suddenly in the mood for a long run on the holodeck, he picked up the pace.

* * *

Troi was tired. Two hours after they had begun talking with Lieutenant Yar, they had made little progress. Yar was resistant to discussing her previous experiences with Caine except in the broadest terms, and strangely her memory seemed clearer about earlier events such as the death of her parents, and more murky once she reached her teens. Her mind seemed to contain huge memory gaps. In particular, T'Sara had asked about Yar's sister, and Yar had continued to respond that Ishara had "run off with a rival gang," without any further explanation. "That was the last time I saw her," Tasha had insisted.

Finally, T'Sara had suggested to all involved that they change their approach. Yar had reluctantly agreed to attempt hypnosis. Troi watched with tired fascination as T'Sara used various pressure points on Yar's wrist, neck and head, using Vulcan techniques to calm her.

At first, Yar tiredly protested, "I'd really rather you not touch me."

"Your objection is to the process, or to me?" T'Sara replied calmly. "Of course, your consent is required."

"Okay, whatever you need to do," Yar eventually relented, shutting her eyes. It was not long before she began to experience a very relaxed state.

"Let's pick up where we left off, Tasha," said T'Sara once she had induced hypnosis. She continued to hold the woman's wrist lightly.

Yar's forehead creased in apparent confusion, but her eyes remained closed. "Where was that?"

"You are eleven years old. You are expecting a new assignment."

"Yeah."

"What exactly do you do for work?"

Deep in her trance, Yar shrugged. "Odds and ends."

"Who do you work for?"

"Caine."

Troi looked up sharply at T'Sara in surprise, but the Vulcan was extremely focused.

"What kind of business does Caine perform?"

"That's a dumb question..."

"Why is it dumb?"

"Caine runs the whole city now. And he's expanding his territory."

"And you help him?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"That's another dumb question. He'll kill me. Or Ish."

"Who is Ish?"

"That's my sister, Ishara." Yar cracked a smile. "She's trouble."

"Why?"

Yar's smile faded slowly, but she said nothing.

"When you arrive for your job assignment, who is there?"

"Caine."

"Does he see you?"

Yar's lip began to tremble slightly. "He's going to blame me, but I can't stop her from doing what she wants. She's trouble."

"Ishara."

"Yeah."

"What has she done?"

"She stole sniff from him again... it's a drug... hardcore, you couldn't handle it "

"I am sure you are correct."

"She's always stealing his stuff and trying to sell it. He's going to kill her, and I can't stop him."

Yar suddenly jerked forward and then slapped her hands over her eyes.

"We are going forward in time now. You are safe. You are fifteen years old, Tasha. You're standing down by the harbor. The air is very hot."

Yar wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "Yeah."

"Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing there?"

"Looking for it."

"What are you looking for, Tasha?"

"The light. I need its help."

T'Sara turned her gaze to Troi before asking. "Describe it for me?"

"It comes and goes as it pleases. It's as bright as a star. I need its help again."

"Why?"

"A long time ago, Caine was going to kill Ishara for stealing. But the light came and burned him. We ran away, and hid. After a few days we got hungry so we went back, and he said 'I don't forgive or forget, you little shit. Control your sister or the next time, she's dead.'"

"Does the light come to you at the harbor?"

"No. It spies on me, but won't help me, anymore. I hate it!"

"Calm down, Tasha. You are safe now. I am going to bring you out of a deep sleep. Soon you will feel a cool rush of air over your entire body. Once the air has washed over you, I want you to open your eyes."

A few moments later, Tasha's eyelids fluttered open, and she sat up slowly.

T'Sara let go of Yar's wrist and sat back, watching her closely.

"How do you feel?" Troi asked from her seat nearby.

Yar sat all the way up and rubbed her eyes. "Okay, I guess."

"We made some progress tonight," said Troi. She glanced at T'Sara. "Commander T'Sara and I are going to let you rest now. We'll resume in the morning. Agreed?"

Yar sat back against the couch and covered her eyes with the crook of her elbow. "Okay."

* * *

When Beverly entered her quarters late that night she was so tired, she tossed her med kit onto the table. Instead of landing with a thud, it slid across the table and landed on the kitchen floor with a clatter. "Oh, damn," she sighed and walked around the table bending low, to pick up the case.

Marca lay under the table, and Beverly affectionately scratched the big dog on top of her head. Marca raised her head with an enormous yawn, before resting her head back down on her paws. After a moment, Beverly noticed something very odd. Marca's eyes appeared to be shining a bright white. It took another moment to realize that Marca was staring at something and the light in her eyes was merely a reflection. Turning her head to look behind her, she was so surprised that she deliberately hurled the medkit in the center of her small living room.

"Ow!" Exclaimed a familiar voice. The voice was emanating from a man-sized white light in the center of the room. The medkit bounced off the figure and onto the rug. Under the kitchen table, Marca groaned something in her dog language and closed her eyes again.

"That hurt, Beverly," protested the light.

 _I should have known._ "Jean-Luc, what are you _doing_?"

The blinding light faded enough for her to see that he was entirely naked. "Well...okay," she managed to say.

"I was trying to show you that I am ready to talk."

"I see that you are." She glanced around. "But Wesley-"

"Wesley is about to walk into our quarters and take Marca for a run. In roughly one minute," he added.

" _What_? Well, put some clothes on!"

He looked immediately forlorn. "This doesn't excite you, then?"

"No, actually it's been awhile, so your weirdness is really starting to turn me on."

"So then...?"

She slapped him on the shoulder. "So _nothing._ We don't have time for this, you just said so yourself."

"I never said that. I said he would be here in one minute-"

"Which is now 45 seconds-" she interrupted.

"-but there is no reason why 39 seconds has to _feel_ like 39 seconds," he said smoothly picking up where he left off.

She just stared at him with raised eyebrows, expecting her son to walk through the door any minute.

He smiled. "What is the the place you think of, when you think of me...you know, in that way?"

"The _place_...? Well, I really like your hands...and your back." She reached out to slide her hand down to the small of his back.

It tickled, but he tried to remain focused, even as he felt her eyes surveying his body. "No, I mean 'place' as in location, not a place on my body, although this is an interesting topic; why didn't you choose-"

"Jean-Luc!"

"Fine," he said snapping his fingers. There was a bright flash, and suddenly they were on a windswept beach, at sunset, lying on a blanket, wearing non-stylish civilian clothes. A seagull sauntered by them, eyeing their picnic basket.

Beverly swept her hair out of her eyes and laughed into the wind. "You read my mind...kind of."

He watched her profile, backlit by the descending orange sun. "No, I read your mind exactly. Except what you were thinking of was that beach in San Francisco where we once made love sixteen years ago. But as I considered your thoughts, it became clear to me that you associate that time of your life with great sadness...so I chose this beach instead."

She turned to kiss him warmly on the mouth, and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, pulling him in closer. "How much time do we have now?" She mumbled.

"Five seconds," he replied, with some difficulty, as her tongue was in the way, so it actually sounded like he said "fie thecondths".

She pushed him down into the sand and sat on top of him. He could feel the heat from her pulsing against him and though it was clear that no further conversation was required, he still said, " do you know the best part about all of this?"

"Shh..." She leaned over him and her hair fell down over his face the way he liked.

"No one can interrupt us this time," he breathed in, gasping as she slid her hand under his belt.

"Shh..." She repeated, as her breathing grew faster. "We only have one second."

"Ugh," was all he could manage as her palm sunk into the wet sand next to his head. It might have been the single greatest second of his life.

* * *

"That may have been the single longest second I have experienced in several millenia. Are you finished yet?"

Picard would have fallen over in surprise, had Beverly's legs not been wrapped around him so tightly. "Q!"

Q popped into view, and knelt down in the sand, oblivious to the humans' embarrassment and discomfort. "Picard, I've arrived just in time to give you one last warning. When you arrive on our home world, the Power will no longer be within your control."

By now, Beverly had grabbed the sandy blanket and pulled it around herself. She was surprised to find that she was more interested in hearing what Q had to say, than she was angry. Given her recent euphoric state, she felt more dazed than anything.

Picard gestured lazily at the sand and a swirling planet arose from the ground. "Let's hear the truth, Q...you won't be able to use the Power down there either, will you?"

"It doesn't matter, because unlike you, Jean-Luc, I have no intention of risking the fate of the galaxy by going down to that planet. You need to end this situation with Yar now before tragedy strikes, once and for all."

* * *

The buzzing sound woke T'Sara from a light sleep, and she sat up in bed. "Computer, what is it?"

 _You have an incoming audio-visual call from Lieutenant Natasha Yar._

T'Sara wrapped a robe around her and walked to a wall monitor, punching the control lightly. "Yes?"

 _"Hi."_ Yar's expression was one of exhaustion and a mix of barely surpressed emotions. " _I need you...I mean I need to talk to you._ " She rubbed the side of her temple and looked away.

"Have you been drinking again?"

 _"Maybe. All these memories are coming back to me-I don't want them in my head, don't you understand? I needed to take the edge off."_

"That is unfortunate. As Counselor Troi explained, we will talk again in the morning. We can also discuss healthier methods of dealing with stress than to flood your body and mind with intoxicants."

" _Can I come over?"_

"No, that is not a good idea. We will talk again in your quarters tomorrow morning," she maintained.

" _No. I need to talk to you now. I'm starting to have these memories...and they're not all mine."_

* * *

 ** _Hi, thanks for following this story...to my loyal readers, you're the best-PP_**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

 **A few minutes earlier...**

 _Natasha Yar was dreaming. In that dream, she was a young teen, and still stuck on Turkana. Having been summoned by Caine on her communications device, she found him near his compound, waving at her from inside an alleyway._

 _"Come over here, kid..." he beckoned._

 _He was standing over something. As she obediently walked closer, she could see that it was a body. Not too long ago, the body had been a someone._

 _"What did you do?" She heard herself demand, as the face became clearer to her in the dimly lit area. What she saw was a bloody face, but still the face of a child._

 _"What do you think happened here?" He held up a tiny bag of sniff for her to see. "She stole from me again...I told you what would happen, didn't I 'Tash? Where were you? Too far away to hear her screaming? Or maybe you did hear, and it just didn't matter to you anymore...maybe you're just like me now." He offered his sinister grin and crouched down low, gesturing lazily at the dead girl. That was when Yar, who had for eight years under Caine's reign of terror been numb to her own heartache as well as others, erupted in fury. She kicked him in the throat as hard as she could, and he fell sprawling backwards into a slimy pool of water. Wheezing and clutching his battered throat with one hand and bracing himself on the pavement with the other, he attempted to reach for the knife sheathed on the side of his boot. But instead of allowing him the time to do so, she stomped down on his hand with her left boot, spun, and kicked him in the head, knocking him cold._

 _She knelt down next to her eleven year old sister, and felt tears burning in her eyes for the first time in years. "Ish...what happened?" It was too late for answers. She felt a dull nagging in her insides. She should have been there...should have been there protecting Ishara, instead of out looking for that stupid alien light. The nagging in her stomach solidified and began to burn. She grabbed the knife from Caine's boot and got to her feet advancing on him. Only one thing to do now. Only one way to make things right._

 _She got as far as drawing back to strike down at him, when disruptor fire sizzled past her ear. Her skin burned as if on fire, and she dove to the side of the alley. The burning on the side of her head from the graze of the energy beam was nothing compared to the feeling of loneliness that suddenly threatened to overwhelm her. Even as Caine's foot soldier ran towards her, all she could think of was that she was now completely alone. No one to care about her, and there was no one left for her to care about. Perhaps now, she was truly free. Free at fifteen years old, to wander the world in search of the light. Her only friend._

 _Caine's soldier kicked her in the ribs, and kept his weapon trained on her. "You're lucky I didn't kill you, 'Tash. I respect your killer instinct-we all do, but Caine's the boss. The only reason I'm letting you go, is because I know he'll want to finish you off himself. Now go!"_

 _She rose to her feet, all the while considering whether it was worth it to try and kill the guy. She knew she was capable of it, but something told her not to. "I'm not going anywhere without my sister," she said quietly and reached down to pick up Ishara's limp body. The man let out a low laugh, and stepped closer. "Get the fuck out of my way," she exploded, and he did._

 _Carrying Ishara in her arms she walked away, and never looked back._

* * *

Tasha woke up with a start. That had never happened. Ishara had run off with a rival gang...she hadn't been killed. Yar would have remembered. Or had this been buried? Had the other memory been a convenient way to keep Ishara alive forever, if only in her mind? She didn't know, and the one thing she couldn't do, was continue to think about it. But she needed sleep. She reached over to her night stand and a drawer slid out silently. She grabbed for a hypo Dr. Crusher had left her. A sleep aide. She hypo'd herself and immediately started to drift again. And it was not long before she began to dream again.

Y _ar stood calm and still on a high, expansive bridge. She was unconcerned by the charred landscape beneath the bridge, or the roiling lava beneath that, which bubbled up in various places. The air was incredibly hot, and it should have been hard to breathe, but instead she felt powerful, maybe even invulnerable._

 _A man was charging toward her in slow motion, and she remained unconcerned. It was Captain Picard. She viewed him differently now. As an enemy._

 _Head down, Picard advanced on her. She lifted a hand protectively and he was suddenly prevented from walking forward._

 _Yar tilted her head at him almost playfully. "You haven't thought this through at all, have you Picard?"_

 _He said nothing, but stopped trying to push against the invisible force field she had erected, preventing him from coming any closer._

 _"I can read your every thought, and you have no idea how to use your power to stop me, do you?" She laughed._

 _Suddenly she was viewing herself as the man continued to approach. Her dream self turned to look over her shoulder, and was now speaking to her. "Are you watching closely, Tasha? Take notes, because I'm going to show you how to defeat Picard."_

Yar sat up with a gasp, and threw the covers off of her as though they were on fire. She ran to the bathroom and began to frantically douse her face with cold water. Gradually she cooled off and her frenzied movements calmed. Slowly she raised her eyes to regard herself in the mirror. "Who am I?" She whispered.

* * *

Now thoroughly awake, Tasha drank a second bottle of some kind of ale and then threw the empty into the recycler. Then she downed a glass of cold water, and marveled at her nervousness. During the vid call, T'Sara hadn't exactly agreed to drop by, but she still had a sense that the Vulcan was headed here anyway. Sure enough, after a few more minutes, the door chime rang. Yar opened the door, and stood there silently, uncharacteristically frozen. T'Sara paused and then walked briskly by her into Yar's quarters.

She kept walking until she was in the center of the living room, and then just stood there watching Yar.

"I'm surprised to see you dressed," said Yar. As soon as it slipped out, she realized how dumb it sounded. When she had called T'Sara, it had been a vid call and the counselor had been wearing a light colored nightgown. She tried to eliminate the image from her mind, but it was much more pleasant to recall than the other images which had been disturbing her mind as of late.

"What an illogical thing to say to me," T'Sara observed.

"Well, you know, it _is_ two in the morning..."

"I am _dressed_ because you interrupted my sleep cycle. In a highly inappropriate manner," she added.

"Sorry."

Yar stepped closer, but T'Sara put out her palm. "Do not come any closer."

Tasha paused, feeling herself sway slightly. Whether it was exhaustion or intoxication, or both, she wasn't quite sure. Did it matter? "Why? Are you afraid of me?"

"'Afraid' is an interesting choice of words. Is that the reaction you are seeking to provoke, by calling me to your quarters?"

"No of course not...and did you just answer my question with another question?"

"Fear is illogical, much like your behavior of late."

"Ouch."

"What exactly did you want to discuss with me, Lieutenant?"

"Like I mentioned...some memories are coming back to me."

"And you indicated that some of them might not be your own."

"Yeah..."

"Why are you under the impression that you are in possession of someone else's memories?"

Yar sat down on the couch and rubbed the back of her neck, which was all knotted up. "I don't know." S _hould I tell her about my dreams? Maybe she'll say it's just a dream...or worse, report that I'm hallucinating and unfit for duty._ "You were right... calling you was a bad idea."

"Please explain the reason you called me here. I wish to resume my sleep cycle as soon as possible."

Yar looked up at the counselor. "Has anyone ever told you, you have the worst bedside manner?"

T'Sara walked smoothly to a chair and sat down across from Yar. She folded her hands in her lap almost demurely. "Tasha...I am here to listen to you..." One corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly, and Yar suspected she was being made fun of. Or she was doing a fair impression of Deanna Troi. "Is this more helpful?"

"Yes." Yar leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and noted that when she caught the counselor's gaze she did not look away, and her dark eyes conveyed empathy she had not noticed before. _She is really beautiful. Probably not a good idea to tell her that right now...or ever._ "Yes, thank you." She looked down at the floor for a moment. "Um...I dreamed about Ishara earlier."

T'Sara nodded. "We had many discussions about your sister earlier this evening. You view that chapter of your life as unfinished. It follows that you might dream about her."

"But I dreamed that she was dead, that Caine killed her," Yar said flatly. "And it seemed so...so real."

"Perhaps it was a memory," said T'Sara. "But it may have been a dream. Either way it is significant, as it represents the work you have begun to put in to restore your inner balance."

"But if it was real, and he murdered my sister, how can I ever let Caine get away with it? Not when I'm so close to confronting him again."

"If Captain Picard knows that you intend to confront Caine, he will ground you from the mission, Tasha."

This should have given her pause, but instead Yar looked at T'Sara and laughed quietly.

"What amuses you?"

"I just realized how nice it is when you use my name, instead of referring to me by my rank."

"I am your superior officer and a degree of decorum is required at all times."

"Even now?"

"Especially now."

Yar shrugged and looked away. "There's something else...I had another dream tonight, and it was really-" she took in a deep breath, suddenly feeling that the air was stale and constricting. "It was really frightening," she finished.

"How so?"

"I was on this alien world and I felt so...powerful, like everything was at my command." She looked at the counselor. "I've never felt like that in my life."

"And that is what frightened you?"

"That and...I was fighting against Captain Picard, and I wanted to defeat him more than anything else. It was all I could think of, I was obsessed."

"Fascinating."

"But at the end of the dream, I was suddenly outside my body, looking at myself, and it was like I was seeing myself but I was someone different. And my other self spoke to me."

"What did your other self say?"

Yar squinted up at the ceiling in concentration, but the rest of the dream was escaping her now. "I can't really remember," she finally admitted. She looked at T'Sara's hands folded in her lap for a few minutes before speaking again. "What if you could help me, you know, sort out what's in my mind?" she suggested.

"That is a crude but accurate manner of describing our recent sessions together, Lieutenant."

"No, I mean, aren't Vulcans able to sense emotions sometimes?" Tasha put her thumb and forefinger up to her own face, but couldn't recall the correct terminology, and didn't want to insult T'Sara any more than she already had with her cultural ignorance.

T'Sara arched one eyebrow steeply. "You want me to engage in a mind meld with you?"

"Yes...if you think it would help."

"No." T'Sara's high cheekbones shadowed, and it took Yar a moment to realize she was blushing.

"Okay. Did I say something wrong?"

"A mind meld is a very intimate act," explained the Vulcan, gradually regaining her poise.

Tasha sat back against the couch and let her arms fall to her sides. "Oh. I didn't mean to offend you."

"I am a Vulcan, and therefore not easily offended. But that does not mean that I am able to engage in a mind meld with you, Lieutenant." T'Sara got up from her chair, and smoothed out her uniform.

Yar stood up. "Thank you," she said abruptly. "For listening to me."

"Of course. Rest well." T'Sara gave a short bow of her head, before walking swiftly out of Yar's quarters.

* * *

 **On Board the Eureka**

"Our shields are holding," Samla reported confidently from her weapons post. The Reman ship had swung around and was powering away from them. The cone shaped modified mining drill affixed to the outer hull of the battered stolen Romulan ship was spinning at such a rate that it was a visual blur.

"Fire," Marco yelled. Turning around briefly he saw that Caine had quietly exited the bridge. Seth continued to sit very still in a nearby chair. The chair swiveled back and forth as the ship adjusted course sharply in pursuit of the Remans, and Seth held the over-sized armrests tightly under his palms.

"They're coming about...and hailing us," Samla shouted with surprise. "The Remans don't negotiate," she warned Marco.

"Answer their hail," Marco replied calmly.

The brutish appearance of the head Reman was almost startling. "The famed Marco," the Reman rasped. "I am Tu'Vol, commander of the Death's Talon. Destroyer of Romulans."

"Why have you attacked us?"

"You possess something that I desire to take from you," said Tu'Vol. "And so I will."

"This ship doesn't use dilithium crystals for fuel," laughed Marco. "So if you were hoping to use those weapons to vibrate my ship's propulsion into dust, you'd better come up with a better plan."

Tu'Vol's dark pupils suddenly swam with green lights as he stared through the screen at Marco. The captain of the Eureka did a double-take, before gesturing at Samla. "Lower the shields."

"But-"

"Do it! They're with us!"

An instant later, there was a series of flashes on the bridge, as several Remans appeared one after the other. Tu'Vol was taller than Marco had expected, and he had to crane his neck upward sharply as the Reman stalked toward him, turning his large head back and forth as though searching for something in a fog.

To his own surprise, Seth felt his body jerk forward involuntarily, and he stood up in front of his chair, his limbs controlled by an unseen force.

Tu'Vol halted in front of the boy, and knelt down staring into Seth's eyes. "The Jewel of Power lies inside this young one...dormant and protected."

Marco dropped his hand onto Seth's shoulder, and pulled his disruptor, but Tu'Vol, reached over his back and drew a sharp dagger, which he plunged straight through Marco's chest. Marco dropped to the deck, and Samla began screaming and shooting her disruptor, just as Tu'Vol's guard swept Seth up under one spiky arm, and there was another flash as the transporter swirled them away.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

On Board the _Death's Talon_

Seth hid himself in a low corner, folding himself into the recess in the wall. He'd escaped the grip of the Reman guard, but wasn't entirely sure how he had achieved that. But as he considered his predicament, things began to look up; sort of. The viral creature was trying to dominate Seth's body...it had wanted the infected Reman leader Tu'Vol to recognize that it inhabited Seth...it had even wanted to come aboard the Reman ship. And Seth was beginning to see why. The viral entity had needed Marco to carry it to the planet they now orbited. And now it needed the Remans to bring it to its final destination. Seth's biggest task right now, was to allow the viral entity to exit his body, without it killing him in the process. For now he knew it continued to want to hide, because it hadn't forcibly moved his limbs again, as it had back on the Eureka. It wasn't ready. It needed rest, and so did Seth. So he curled up in a ball and very quickly fell asleep.

* * *

 _The Eureka_

Caine dipped his index finger in the green sludge and swirled it around. It immediately jumped off of his finger and rejoined its relatives. Crouching over the large puddle, he rocked back on his heels and began to laugh. "Oh Marco...you don't even know who you are, do you? You can't be killed any easier than I can." He watched without surprise as the sludge began to congeal into a man-shaped mass. Within a few minutes, that mass would fully resemble Marco, re-born once more.

He'd known for a long time that Marco and his crew were under the influence of a highly intelligent and resilient virus. He'd seen Marco come back from the dead before, just as the virus willed it; most notably when Picard had thrown Marco through the hull of the Eureka. He also knew that Marco wanted him dead. And the best he could tell was that the virus was guiding Marco's every step. What he didn't know exactly, was why he was so prized by the virus. Maybe it was because he was viewed as competition. He wanted the mysterious power that Picard wielded, and that legends said had its origins on the planet below. Surely that was why the virus had chosen to travel to this planet.

He got to his feet and walked to the door of the deserted bridge. Below decks, Samla and the others would be making preparations to carry out their planet-side expedition, and he would need to go along for the ride. No doubt Marco's crew had already realized that the Remans were also under the influence of the virus, and thus they were all in theory on the same team now. The loss of Seth only meant that their viral leader was under heavier protection for now.

The time was approaching when he would have to split from Marco's crew. Maybe after he killed Yar...or when he obtained Picard's power. Caine wasn't sure, except that to destroy one, he would need the other.

* * *

 _USS Enterprise_

Tasha Yar sat in her quarters, staring into the darkness. It was the very early morning, so early that it wasn't nearly dawn. One became used to knowing the difference between dusk and dawn, even with artificially lighted days and nights. She'd given up on sleep. She could not, or rather, would not sleep and had decided to stay up until it grew lighter. The nightmares were all she saw now when she closed her eyes. Visions of Caine hurting her sister, and dreams of bloody, unsatisfying revenge, repeated over and over.

And then there was that voice that sought to guide her. It sounded like her voice, but it wasn't really her. Whoever it was, the speaker believed she knew best. _"No one cares about you...the only thing you'll get from Picard is more betrayal...don't you want what he has? Everything would be so much easier, if you had his Power. You could kill Caine...even change the past."_ At times, she saw the shadowy face of the speaker, and it looked exactly like her own, except the eyes were different. Those eyes had seen everything there was to see in the universe. They were arrogant and cruel, and still she was drawn to them.

She had asked T'sara to perform a mind meld on her, to try and sort out her jumbled mind. Apparently T'Sara had interpreted the request as something more than that, which had resulted in her leaving abruptly. Reading the Vulcan had been difficult enough before she had begun to have psychiatric disturbances. Now that she actually admitted that she was in need of counseling, she wasn't sure if she was attracted to the counselor for the same reasons she had been before. Which was just as well, because T'Sara was forever playing hard to get; if Vulcans were even capable of such things.

The fact remained that Tasha was for the first time, beginning to realize that she needed someone to rely on...just once in her life, even for just a little while. Otherwise, she couldn't trust herself any longer to do the right thing. Maybe she should tell T'Sara that she just wanted to be friends, to gain her trust. It wasn't really true, but friendship would be an improvement over everything she was experiencing now, and maybe better than what she'd been seeking. She closed her eyes and pictured the counselor watching her disapprovingly from across the room. She felt her chances were slim. She closed her eyes again, and tried to rid her mind of all worrying thoughts. She'd been ordered by Captain Picard to let go of her hatred for Caine, and instead, everything that she'd been through as a youth now felt magnified and chaotic, no longer locked away in a convenient box. An image of a familiar glowing box came into view, and she shoved it away. Even as she lightly touched the key on the chain around her neck, she knew she didn't need to look at the stupid pictures she'd drawn all those years ago. She needed something real.

She stood up quickly as something occurred to her. Yes. She could rely on Captain Picard to help her. He'd never let her down before. But she would have to ask him the unthinkable. " _Please fix me with your powers, sir."_ No...she would have to think of another way to pose the question. "Computer, time?"

 _"It is 0330."_

Realizing that she was probably horribly overstepping, she decided to leave right away to seek the captain's help.

* * *

Yar slowed around the bend from Captain Picard's quarters when she saw Wesley Crusher exiting the living space. He was wearing gym shorts and looked ready to work out. Oddly this made her pause and she considered asking him if she could join him for a run. But she steeeled herself to her purpose, and continued her quick pace. As Wesley approached, he smiled and nodded at her. "Hey."

There was something nervous about his smile, but she returned it and nodded back. "Hey, Wes." He stole another glance behind him before rounding the bend and disappearing from sight.

She silently cursed herself before hitting the door mechanism. Oddly, Captain Picard's voice called out immediately. "Come!"

The door slid open and she stepped into the living room. Captain Picard was not present. Instead a glowing light, as bright as a star floated in the center of the room. Her mouth went dry, but she stepped forward, transfixed. Was this the Captain? "S-sir? Is that you?" She reached out a shaky hand just in time for the light to flash away. She jerked her arm back as if burnt. She hadn't seen it for so many years. Not in the same way. She had seen the Captain use flashes of the Power, but this was different and reminded her of the light she had seen as a young kid.

Blinking now in the dimmed light, she turned at the sound of soft footfalls.

"Wes, are you back already?" Beverly Crusher had stepped into the room, tightening the belt of her soft robe. Yar felt a familiar attraction surface for the first time in a while, but she quickly suppressed it. Meanwhile, the doctor was watching her closely."Tasha? Is everything alright?"

Tasha ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, Doctor Crusher...I just, I just need to talk to the Captain."

"It's pretty late...or early, rather."

"I know," said Yar quietly. "I sincerely apologize. But I promise that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important...is he awake?"

Beverly blushed slightly. "Actually yes...we were-yes, he's awake."

Yar put her hands behind her back, and looked down at her boots. "Please accept my apology. I won't take up too much of his time."

Beverly walked back to the bedroom and stuck her head inside. There was a soft indecipherable conversation, and then Beverly returned. "He'll be out soon."

"Thank you." She kept her gaze fixed on the deck. She could almost feel a weight pressing down on her. She felt close to tears, which for her was something that simply did not happen.

"Tasha...how did things go earlier with the counseling session? Is that why you're here?"

Tasha found she could not speak. She shook her head, and then shielded her eyes. "I'm a mess," she whispered. To her surprise she felt Beverly pull her hand away from her face and kiss her on the cheek.

"It's going to be alright," said Beverly, continuing to hold Yar's hand. "I have faith in you."

Yar's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes."

"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

Yar turned to find Captain Picard dressed in his standard uniform, standing nearby. Beverly looked somewhat surprised at his attire, but then seemed to shrug it off, stepping away.

"Sir, I need to talk to you," she blurted out.

"So I gathered...why?" His tone was odd, and he was staring at her pointedly.

She took a deep breath. "I need help sir."

"Are you asking me for help, Lieutenant? I must say, this is unprecedented for you."

"Well sir...you ordered me to confront my issues with Caine. To figure it all out and then get over it."

"That's a very simplistic, but reasonably accurate summary of what I ordered you to do, Yar," he observed. "And were you successful?"

"No sir. I confronted it, but I can't get over it."

"These things take time," Picard said seriously.

"But I don't have time," she insisted. "You said yourself that I needed to be ready for the mission."

"And yet, you are not. Is that what you are telling me? That you remain a single minded assassin when it comes to Caine?"

"Sir-"

"What is it you are asking of me, Lieutenant?"

"Captain, would you use your power to help calm me down, to help me to resolve my issues?"

Picard shook his head. "This is silly! It certainly would defeat the purpose of you accomplishing that on your own."

"Sir..."

"Go on, Lieutenant."

"I think I'm becoming someone else!" she suddenly exclaimed, holding her palms flat to her ears.

Picard sat down on the couch slowly and then looked up at her. "What did you say?"

"Something isn't right, Captain. I don't feel like myself."

His face was dead serious now. "I see." He patted the couch next to him slowly. "Have a seat, Lieutenant Yar. Let's talk."


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Tasha sat down slowly on the couch next to the captain. She could tell by his expression that he was conflicted about something, but she remained silent, waiting for him to speak.

Jean-Luc looked over at Beverly, who had crossed her arms and was now tapping her foot anxiously. In fact, Yar had never seen her nervous at all, so this was a strange departure. "Do you want me to leave? Should I go and get counselor Troi?"

Picard smiled and shook his head. "Let's not involve the counselor in this one...but Beverly, perhaps if you _would_ step out of the room for a few minutes?"

Beverly glanced at Yar, and for the first time since Yar's early days on board as security chief, she felt her skin turn cold as a flood of horrible memories came back to her. Just a moment ago, she'd had a rather tender and unexpected moment with Yar, and then just like that, she was back a year ago, fearing that Jean-Luc would be tortured or killed by a very different Yar than the woman sitting in front of her. _She's not the same person...but still, he's being naive about this. She's going to be furious with him, right? She will have to be. Should I leave them alone? What if they attack each other while I'm out of the room?_ She froze, realizing that she had just been hugging herself protectively while swaying from foot to foot.

"Beverly?"

She snapped out of her daze quickly. "Mm-hmm. Yes, of course...sure." She walked to the doorway and turned back around. "You'll call me if you need me, won't you?"

"Yes," he called out appreciatively. He watched as Beverly left the room, concerned but not surprised by Beverly's reaction. In fact her concern and protective nature gave him the strength to follow through with what he knew he could no longer avoid. He returned his gaze to Lieutenant Yar and had trouble seeing anyone other than the attentive young woman seated next to him. It was then that he realized, how different her eyes were from the single-minded and psychotic Yar he had known before. Despite this woman's carefully hardened exterior, it was all a series of defense mechanisms. There was nothing the least bit cold about her. _She has so much potential. So much of which is very dangerous..._

"Tasha...there is something that I have to tell you-that you deserve to know. And even though it will change everything, I have to tell you." Her expression was open, eyes wide. "Tasha...you and I have a connection."

"I know sir. That-that's why I came to ask you for your help. I've always been able to count on you, captain-"

He winced, it almost hurt to interrupt her, because her sincerity was so clear. "That's not the connection I meant Tasha...although I do believe we have connected since you've come on board."

There was a tremor in her cheekbones as she attempted to retain her composure. "I don't understand then..."

He tapped his chest. "This power that I have...you know where it comes from, don't you?"

Her reply sounded rehearsed, straight from the news stories written about his return a year ago. "It's a type of-of powerful energy-from the race of aliens who captured you and imprisoned you for eleven years."

"But you were familiar with this powerful energy long before you met me, weren't you?" He hesitated, and he took her hand, holding it tightly. "Weren't you?"

"Yes," she finally whispered, and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Tasha," he said gently. "What I am about to tell you...well it's quite difficult. In a different place and time you and I knew each other even better than we do now. But we were not friends. What connected us was this race of aliens, who refer to themselves as the Q. Since my return last year, Starfleet Command has attempted to supress most of the information about the Q for fear of the consequences. In that other time and place, you were also taken by the Q as a young teen. You were captured even before I was, and at a far younger age. Ultimately, you surpassed even the Q in their mastery of the Power and you used it to all but destroy the continuum. You gained control of the Borg-"

"No." She let go of his hand and stood up, backing away quickly. She stared at him now with a look of suspicion, but there was something else. She didn't want to believe him, but she did.

 _She already knows some of what I've been saying. Has she had visions? Does she have memories of her other self?_

"What I am trying to tell you is that you and I have always been of interest to the Q, from the time we were children. The only two humans that I know of, to command such attention."

"You mean we were experiments to them," she said, and it wasn't posed as a question.

He shrugged. "It has never been quite clear to me why, but the more time I spend away from that particular experience, the more I have thought about this."

"So in this other time, I basically-I caused chaos, is that what you're saying? That I was pure evil?" Her face changed from confusion to anger and then back again.

He looked down at his hands. "I don't know if any one person is completely good or evil, Tasha. What I do know is that you were a force which the Q had never seen, and the Q have been around for an amount of time we would find hard to measure. The things that you-your other self did threatened the fabric of the galaxy as we know it."

Still trying to comprehend this revelation, she tried to keep most of her questions at bay. "How many people know about this-about this other me?"

"Not many...we did what we could to contain it."

She felt short of breath. Contain. Her. "But Arroyo knew, didn't he? He knew that I killed his friend. He kept telling me, but I didn't believe him! Now he's dead too."

He simply nodded, unsure of what to say.

She looked up quickly at him. "Doctor Crusher...Counselor Troi...they all know, don't they?"

"Yes. Anyone who served with me during the Borg invasion may have a memory of you, assuming they knew you personally."

She gripped the back of a chair to steady herself. "And Commander T'Sara?"

He paused. "I cannot be certain, but I don't believe so."

She looked somewhat relieved, and pressed on, trying to reason through something that made no sense. "So I was killed. Is that what happened? I mean I'm here now, but..." Frustrated, she brought her palms up to her face in a gesture he knew they shared, and it reminded him that he had not told her the whole story.

"At the time this was happening, I was extremely conflicted. I had just returned to human life, and wasn't sure if I wanted to remain or return to the Q. While in this transition stage I was given three chances to use the Power, and I used my final chance to stop you."

"Stop me." Her tone was flat and she looked past him at the wall.

"Yes. With the help of the Q I used the Power to go back in time and change your history. I thought, perhaps foolishly that if I prevented the Q from abducting you, and instead allowed you to be rescued by a Starfleet officer, that your life would be different. Better."

"Better?" Her eyes filled with tears and she clamped her hand over her mouth for a few moments. He was almost certain that she would explode in fury, but finally she dropped her hand and looked at him with fear and perhaps something worse. "All of this," she gestured down at herself with something akin to self-hate. "Everything I've seen, everything I've done, even the things I am afraid to say out loud...is all because of you? You created me? Is that what you are telling me?" Her voice had become strident.

He stood up, and reached out. "Tasha. I need you to understand. This is why I needed to make sure you were ready to return to duty. Your other self is trying to arrange to return with the power of the Q. In order to do so, she's made some kind of a pact with the alien virus that has been hiding inside of my son. Part of that pact involves you killing Caine. And I fear that we will not only need you for the mission, but we will need you to be strong enough to reject your impulse to kill this man."

She blinked and looked up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure how much she had heard or understood, but she was clearly working things out in her mind. Finally she looked at him directly. "All this effort spent to keep me in line, to keep me from killing him...would I have ever even met Caine if it wasn't for you?"

He shook his head. Much of the previous Yar's early life was a mystery to him. "I don't know."

"Would my parents have been killed?" Her voice caught in her throat. "And Ishara?" When he remained silent, she turned and moved to leave.

"Tasha, we still need to talk. I promise to try and _give_ you the answers you need."

She shook her head. "You were right; this changes everything. And I don't _want_ those answers." She said before sliding out the door.

* * *

Wesley stepped out of the holodeck, and immediately sensed that he wasn't alone. Sure enough in the next second, Q was walking beside him in human form. Gone were the days when Q would have frightened him. Now he simply longed for a moment of peace without the higher being pestering him. He wrapped a towel around his neck, and tried to remember a simpler time when he had fewer worries. He'd tried to clear his head with a run, but the air in the hallway seemed stale and oppressive.

"It's not the air... it's me," explained Q. " _Yes_ , I have returned to _pester_ you, and _yes_ , the time is coming when you will thank me for giving you a chance to use the power of the Q."

Wesley opened his mouth, but found his lips suddenly frozen and that no sound came out.

"Before you ask me what I'm doing here, or what I want from you, young Mr. Crusher, let me answer those questions for you. To begin with, I was just in your quarters, and you will never guess what I saw."

Regaining his voice, Wesley waved his hand angrily at Q. "Come _on Q_! I just left my quarters so my parents could have sex without me having to pretend I can't hear them. So I don't need details, thank you. Gross," he added, speeding up his pace.

"Sensitive! Well, in addition to that _atrocious_ spectacle...Yar was there."

Wes stopped, remembering he had seen Lieutenant Yar in the corridor when he was leaving. Why had she gone to his family's quarters. "So?"

The humanoid version of Q disappeared in a flash, and a floating star the size of Wesley's head now floated alongside the teen at eye level. "I appeared this way...the form which humans find so aesthetically pleasing. And to say that Yar was pleased to see me, would be an understatement," said the floating star.

"Q, please get to the point."

"My point is that Tasha Yar in any form, will continue to be obsessed with the Power of the Q, which means the universe is at risk. She traveled into the past to conspire with the viral entity to regain her chance to control the Power, and seems to be on the very cusp of achieving her goal. Why is this so difficult for you to understand?"

Wesley walked along in silence for a few more moments. "And you are here to try and convince me again to kill her?" He stopped abruptly and tried to face down the floating orb. "Why don't you do it yourself, Q?"

The orb tilted from side to side in a wobbly manner. "Unlike humans we Q are not so barbaric. There will be repercussions for me if I do such a thing."

Wesley threw up his hands in frustration. "But not for me...right?"

"Trust me...one day the other humans will thank you for what you've done."

"You don't care about anyone but yourself, do you? You don't even care about the other Q...Qs...whatever."

"Define 'care'..."

"Q!"'

The glowing orb began to spin in a frenzied manner. "Do you intend to travel to the planet's surface?"

Wesley made ridiculous face in response to Q's ridiculous question. "There is no way in hell, or any other dimension that my parents will willingly allow me down on planet Q."

"P _lanet Q?_ Blasphemous boy...you have no idea what secrets this planet holds, what it is capable of achieving. As I told your father recently, your ability to use the power will be limited at best-perhaps non-existent. But there is something else, you might find interesting."

"What?"

"The planet is capable of many things...one of which is that it can heal any wound, it can correct any _mistake_. However, the planet is said to be very selective about who it chooses to help or hinder."

"Is that it?"

"Yes. I thought I was being helpful, giving you crucial information yet again, you ungrateful brat!"

"Q, you drop in whenever and give us little pieces of information, just enough to make everyone wonder what your game is. Don't you get tired of hanging around us humans?"

"You sound just like your father."

"Good!"

The white star spun slowly in a circle around Wesley's head before ascending up through the ceiling. _"You've been given a gift, young human. Do not waste it."_

* * *

Beverly stepped out of her bedroom to find Jean-Luc standing alone in their living room. Wesley was not back yet, and the family's shared quarters were deadly quiet. He raised his head when she entered, but didn't turn around. She came up behind him and put a hand on his upper back. "I'm sorry...that must have been so very difficult."

He turned toward her embrace and rested his forehead on her shoulder. He felt incredibly low. "I didn't know it would feel like this. But I should have. I've been too arrogant for anyone's good, Beverly."

"Shh," she said, hugging him.

"It's not over," he said, pulling back to look at her. She could see, to her surprise, that he had been crying. "No doubt, I'll be taught many more lessons down on that planet." Suddenly his eyes clamped shut and he nearly fell backwards. She grabbed his arms, trying to steady him.

"What is it?"

"Something-" his eyes snapped open again. "It's Seth...he's in trouble. The Remans have him!" There was a bright flash between them, and she felt the deck shift under her feet. As the light returned to normal, she grabbed both his hands.

"What did you just do?"

"I've warped us to his location. Time to get our son back."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Yar propelled herself into her quarters at a run. She had to make a plan. That was it. Make a plan, and go with it.

Isaac Chandra's last words before he jumped to his death into that plasma chamber whispered back from her memories. _When you reach the home of the white light, you must fulfill the prophecy._

It was becoming clearer to her now. So simple. The Enterprise would soon reach the planet in just hours, and before that happened, she needed to make a choice. In a sense the decision had already been made for her. The virus wanted her to kill Caine, the virus wanted her to fulfill some prophecy to ensure its dominance. The captain made it even clearer that her alter ego was planning a comeback, and was counting on her cooperation. Put simply, she could allow none of those things to happen. The best way to deal with it all was to disappear. Escape came naturally now. She could live without killing Caine. As much as she longed for a parting shot, it wasn't in the cards this time, and possibly never would be again.

Suddenly the deck shifted under her feet and outside of the view ports there was a blinding flash of light. She blinked a few times and then ran to the window. Outside loomed a large green and blue planet, not so different than Turkana, or even Earth.

 _Yellow alert, yellow alert_. She ran to another window. An immense, almost flat ship floated placidly in space. From experience, she knew this to be the _Eureka_. Nearby, and just as still was the smaller but unmistakable battered Romulan scout ship they had encountered earlier in their journey.

"Wow...those _goddamn_ _Remans_ again- we're here already... must have been Captain Picard," she murmured, pushing herself away from the view port. Saying the captain's name aloud somehow caused a wave of sadness to pass through her. She covered the sadness with a slow boiling rage. The Q had experimented on him, and then he had done the same to her. She was an experiment, maybe a failed one. But it didn't matter, because she didn't intend to be used anymore by anyone. Not by the captain, and sure as hell not by this virus.

She began quickly packing a bag, as her mind descended further into focused anger. She changed into a nondescript black jumpsuit with a hood, and then as a last minute thought threw a med kit into the duffel bag. She paused, forcing herself to think this through. She wouldn't resign-not yet. She'd take a shuttle with warp capability though. Her piloting skills were rusty, but she would make do. If the virus really needed her in the picture to achieve its aims, she would simply step out of the picture, and it would fail. Right?

What about Seth though? She thought about the Eureka, and the fact that Caine was on it, possibly terrorizing an innocent boy. She'd left her own sister behind, hadn't she? Seth would be another innocent casualty of Caine's brutality and her weakness, and unfortunately not the last. She shrugged, trying to elevate her sense of survival over her guilty conscience. Captain Picard had the power to save Seth, didn't he? Hell, if he could do that, why not resolve this whole mess by using his power? Biting her lip to try and keep her concentration, she shoved a thin, waterproof coat into the bag along with a small handheld lantern. Who knows where she would end up? Eventually, once she found a place to stay, she would abandon the shuttle and send out a beacon for some transport ship to pick it up.

She zipped up the bag and then stood up straight, glaring down at it. "All my worldly belongings..." Except that wasn't all. She walked to the middle of her living room and called out to the computer. "Show me the box, computer." The small metal box appeared in front of her suspended in mid-air at eye level. "Lower security field." The red energy field snapped off, and she plucked the box from mid air. She didn't know why...but she knew she couldn't take it with her. Not anymore. As she gripped the simple box in her hands, she thought about every picture she'd drawn of the white light. The Q. Looking down at the box in her hands she suddenly felt ashamed. Experiencing a swell of rage, she raised the box above her head and hurled it into the bulkhead where it burst open with a crash. _Structural integrity remains at one hundred percent,_ reported the computer, as many slips of worn paper exploded around Tasha, before floating down to the floor.

She knelt down and immediately began picking up the pieces of paper. The drawings of a child, a young girl, and a hardened teen, all in one place. Shuffling them back together in a careful order only she knew, Tasha placed them back into the box. Now severely dented, it wouldn't close properly, let alone lock. She touched the key hanging around her neck. Yes, she would keep the key so that she would never forget. But as for the box, she had dragged it through the swamps, underground tunnels and dirty city streets of Turkana and had even brought it with her for more sophisticated travel on her long journeys through space. And now suddenly...she didn't need or want it anymore. The question was; what to do with it? She didn't want to just abandon it here in her room. Whoever found it wouldn't understand. But she knew someone who would.

* * *

After leaving her quarters for the last time, Tasha walked through the corridors, observing the crew preparing for possible battle. Not long ago, she would have been one of them. The Enterprise was now in orbit around the Q home world, and everyone seemed to recognize that something significant was about to happen. Yar decided not to examine this subject too closely, because put simply, she was leaving. And the more she thought about the nature of the mission, the more sense her decision seemed to make.

Eventually she left the bustle behind and entered a quieter hallway. She slowed just slightly when she saw the man she'd seen in Ten Forward. Tall and well-groomed with a natural air of over-confidence, he'd been one of two strangers sitting with Beverly and Wesley Crusher just a night ago, just before she'd gotten into a fight with the Klingons. He'd looked at her strangely then, and now a similar expression was pasted on his face. Carrying the dented box under her arm, and her bag over her shoulder she passed him without a word. He cleared his throat when she passed, and she spun to find him watching her with a slight grin. "What's in the box?"

She walked closer. "You think you know me...but you don't. Whoever you think I am, it's not me."

His smile widened, but distrust shone in his eyes. "I know what's in that box," he admitted. "In another time and place, I opened it up, I guess you could say I was snooping around. Funny...if you're not the same person, why do you have the same exact box of pictures?" When Yar remained stone silent, he suddenly stuck out his hand. "Walker Keel...a pleasure to meet you, Natasha Yar."

Yar backed up slowly. Was he an enemy? His eyes conveyed that he was.

"Not much of a talker are you?" he called after her as she continued back down the hall. "All about the action this time around? I saw how you took on those Klingons. Pretty impressive, but I think maybe I miss the old Yar. The one who talked a lot of shit, but still lost in the end. Do you know anything about that Yar? The one who stole my friend from me? Do you have any idea what kind of man Jean-Luc Picard was until he was taken by the Q? Before he met you?"

Yar could feel the heat of her anger rising up her neck. He was trying to get under her skin, and succeeding.

"Maybe we'll meet again," Walker offered.

"You'd better hope that we don't," Tasha called back over her shoulder before turning the corner.

* * *

A few minutes later, Yar stood outside of T'Sara's quarters, with a single item tucked under her arm. The metal of the box felt cold. Everything felt cold to her now. When the door swished open she had arranged her features as impassively as possible. It wasn't as difficult as she'd anticipated. She remained numb...yes, that was the right word. She didn't entirely understand what the captain had just told her, but she knew that right now, she didn't want to examine the subject any closer. What she needed was distance, and a lot of it.

"Lieutenant Yar...good morning." T'Sara took in Yar's distant expression, and for some reason it was the first that came to mind. "You are dressed as a civilian," she observed.

"Well, I'm not on duty." She noted that T'Sara was wearing the more durable away team uniform. _They're getting ready to go down to the planet._

"You should be. Counselor Troi and I jointly recommended that you be reinstated to active duty, with mandatory counseling following completion of our mission."

"You recommended that I be _reinstated_? After everything you learned about me last night?"

"Yes. But more importantly, I did so, because of what I already knew about you." T'Sara raised her chin with quiet assurance.

Tasha was surprised at this, but given her current predicament, she decided not to inquire further. "Thanks...under other circumstances, I might have something clever to say, but... things are different now."

"How are things different?"

"I didn't come to you to be counseled, T'Sara."

"Then why did you come to see me?" She eyed the battered box under Yar's arm.

Tasha held out the box in one hand. "I need a favor. I need you to give this to Captain Picard for me."

"Is there some reason why you cannot give him that...item yourself?"

"Captain Picard and I are not currently on speaking terms."

"Is that why you broke this container?"

Yar shook her head and looked away. "You're wasting your time trying to get inside my head. Trust me, it's not a good place to be. Especially right now."

T'Sara shifted her stance and her eyes fell on the duffel bag hanging over Yar's shoulder. "The fact that you are not on speaking terms with the captain is odd for a number of reasons, but in particular because you think so highly of Captain Picard, and he of you."

The comment stung, and Tasha forced a laugh.

"You find my statement amusing, and yet your demeanor toward the captain has been one of reverence since you came on board the Enterprise."

"So you think I revere him...what like a god?" T'Sara merely tilted her head curiously in response. "Well, maybe I did treat him like a god. But maybe I had good reasons for that. Now I see I was a fool."

T'Sara's eyes flicked to the duffel bag again. "I found it significant that you were absent from the captain's emergency briefing this morning. The Captain had previously explained how critical you were to our final mission, and yet he seemed to acknowledge that you would not be joining us."

"He's right, I won't be."

T'Sara straightened her already perfect posture. "Are you resigning from Starfleet, Lieutenant?"

"I don't know...not yet, but I just need some-some space."

"Then...you are leaving us." Something in the counselor's gaze flashed. Not quite anger, but something else. "Your actions are not logical, Tasha. They are driven almost entirely by your emotions."

"You wouldn't get it...you're a Vulcan."

"But I do have emotions," T'Sara insisted quietly.

"But you control them, right? I've tried that method for the last twenty years. If you haven't noticed, the results haven't been great for anyone I come in contact with."

"If you remain on board, Counselor Troi and I can continue to work with you on repairing the traumas you suffered as a child."

Yar's expression hardened. "You don't know all of it. Not even close."

"Perhaps. May I ask what happened between you and Captain Picard to prompt your decision to leave this ship?"

"He didn't tell you at the meeting this morning?"

The Vulcan frowned. "No, although when he mentioned your name in response to a question from Ensign Howell about your absence, he exhibited a brief but most unusual reaction."

"What do you mean?"

"He betrayed his emotions. He wept."

Yar shook her head and looked down at the floor. If anyone else but T'Sara had just told her that, she would have laughed at the absurdity of it. "I don't want to hear about this right now. Like I said, I'm leaving."

"The captain was also extremely...vague about the details for our away team mission to the planet below," T'Sara pressed on. "As a result I am concerned about how we will achieve our goal of stopping the spread of this mind controlling viral entity."

Yar backed up and tried to hand T'Sara the box again. "I don't care, I have to go."

T'Sara gripped the sides of the box so tightly that Tasha found she couldn't pull her hands away. "You continue to be dishonest. You say that you do not care about the outcome of this mission, but I do not believe you."

Tasha looked directly at T'Sara. "Just do this favor for me, T'Sara. _Please_."

T'Sara blinked, and loosened her grip. But she took the box carefully from Yar. She felt a sense of failure at the emotions that silently bombarded her usual sense of control. Still she kept her voice from wavering. "Explain to me why you are leaving, Tasha, and I will do as you request."

Yar exhaled and rubbed her forehead in frustration before looking up again. "Look...there are things that I know about myself now-I just can't trust myself to go down on that planet. I know you won't understand, and that I'm being illogical as usual, and everything else...but it doesn't matter. I can't go on the mission, and...let me put it this way-if I go, the mission is more likely to fail, and the virus gets what it wants. Okay?"

T'Sara was watching her closely. "I believe that you believe this to be true. But you must tell me what you have learned that makes you believe you cannot be trusted-"

"No! No," Yar repeated in a lower voice. "I have to go now." She turned to leave, but T'Sara's words stopped her in her tracks.

"Captain Picard spoke about a waterfall. Does that mean anything to you?"

 _The waterfall._ There was a rush of light and water, and she was falling straight down, unable to grab a hold of anything, just falling to her death. Then she felt her head tipping back, and she saw the lights of the hallway ceiling before everything went black.

* * *

Beverly moved to the door at the sound of the chime. "Come in," she called out and the door slid open to reveal an unexpected guest. "Hello," she said as Guinan glided in past her.

"Hello, doctor," said the bartender, folding her hands inside the cuffs of her immense sleeves. "May I have a few minutes of your time?"

"Sure," she said, stepping aside. She was happy for the distraction. She'd recently returned from the bridge from an emergency briefing that by most accounts had not gone well. Jean-Luc had been nearly overcome with emotion with respect to Seth's capture by the Remans, and he was also visibly shaken by his confrontation with Yar, although Beverly was likely the only one who knew the exact source of his pain. But something else had happened. He'd essentially warped the Enterprise into orbit around the unnamed Q home world based on his feeling that Seth had been captured by the Remans. Now that they were here, however, he was no longer able to sense where Seth was, or if he was even alive. He had declared to Beverly that his power was fading, that it had weakened considerably upon their arrival at the Q home world. Meanwhile the ship's sensors picked up a number of small craft departing the Eureka for the planet. Meanwhile the Death's Talon remained suspiciously still, and appeared to be powered off.

She knew that he was torn between chasing Marco and boarding the Reman's ship. At the briefing the crew had taken notice of the Captain's lack of decision, but for now their questions were still polite, if pointed. Beverly feared that the crew's perception of Jean-Luc's power and his seemingly arbitrary use of it was leading to a lack of confidence in his leadership; something that she would have seen as impossible eleven years ago. Some of it, she had tried to tell him, was due to his ego and his unwillingness to be transparent about his methods. This led most of the crew to assume that he would pull off some trick in the end that would simply make the viral entity disappear, and even to wonder why, if he had that power, he hadn't done so already.

She had to admit that if she hadn't trusted him implicitly, she would have probably questioned his almost complete lack of detail as to his plan to stop the alien virus. When asked about how this would be done, he had refused to say, except that the away team had to reach a waterfall before the virus was transported there. They would only be capable of traveling on foot for most of the journey, and parts of it would be treacherous. Once there, "everything would become clear". One of the keys to it all was to protect Caine from being killed before reaching the waterfall. Why? Someone had asked. "When we get there you'll understand."

Beverly stood watching Guinan silently. She recalled when Guinan had brought Jean-Luc to her quarters one night after he had recently returned from the Q. He had impulsively broken a glass, in the process, cutting his hand. She had begrudgingly let them in to patch him up. It was that night that she realized how much she still loved him, despite the fact that he was practically an alien to her. "Please tell me this is good news, Guinan...I really need some good news."

"He's right."

"Jean-Luc?"

She nodded. "He doesn't believe his own instincts, but I know that Seth is on that Reman ship."

Beverly put her hands over her face briefly. "Thank God. But...how can you be sure."

"We El Aurians have a way of communicating. Sometimes through space and time."

"Is he alright?"

"For now...but he also knows that the Remans intend to kill him, once the transfer is complete."

"Transfer, what transfer?" Beverly could feel her legs begin to shake, remembering their first encounter with the Remans.

"The entity is planning on transferring itself to the Reman leader. Seth is afraid he won't survive the process."

Beverly spontaneously hugged Guinan. "I have to tell the captain. Thank you," she said tearfully as she pulled away.

"Of course." Guinan headed for the door, before hesitating. "You know...Seth is one of my last living relatives."

Beverly did a double take. " _What?"_

"I didn't want to give Seth too much information before, when I told him some stories about his mother. But...Adrena was my brother's child. My niece. So talented...so troubled. I can't begin to explain how it feels to know that she was killed by the Borg one hundred years after she escaped them as a refugee from El-Auria. But Seth and those other children on the Marca colony survived. Seth survived. So Seth and I are tied together in ways I never told him. Now I wish that I had."

"You'll get that chance again," Beverly said defiantly. "We'll get him back."


End file.
